Faint Hearted
by Scorpia710
Summary: Wolf clenched his fists as a familiar face appeared on the screen. “Cub,” Fox whispered as he and the other three men stared at the next target and youngest member of K Unit. Mix in everyone’s favorite assassin and what do you get?
1. Chapter One: Cellmates

The pounding headache was the first thing that he noticed. It felt like someone was repeatedly banging his head into a brick wall. Each throb of pain made him want to cry out. He bit his lip instead and tried to open his eyes.

He was lying uncomfortably on a hard, cold floor. A small groan escaped his lips when he tried to sit up. His head had barely made it off the ground before he had to lower it again from pain and dizziness.

Wolf decided to take it slowly and he opened his eyes the best he could. The man raised a hand to wipe at his sleep caked eyes, when that was done he opened them. The ceiling was made of a maze of wooden beams that crisscrossed one another.

Wolf glanced around him and felt dread land heavily in his stomach. Thick metal bars went around him in a square shape. He was in a cell.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," said a voice filled with grim humor. The voice was familiar and Wolf turned sharply to look in the direction of where it had come from.

"Eagle?" The confused man asked. Wolf had not seen Eagle since Brecon Beacons and here he was looking rather beat up and tired.

"Aww, he remembered," Eagle said and someone else in the cell snorted.

Wolf was feeling more and more confused by the second and he sat up to get a better look at the people with him.

Eagle was leaning against the brick wall and in the corner Wolf could barely see blond hair. "Snake," he guessed and the Scottish man replied with a, "Hmm."

"What the hell is going on here?" Wolf growled out dangerously as he stood, wobbling.

Another voice which Wolf immediately recognized as Fox's answered him. "We just woke ourselves, Wolf, and we don't know anything either," the man said.

"What is this, some kind of bloody reunion?" Wolf muttered as he rubbed his aching head.

"Like Fox said, we have no idea but this room is probably bugged," Snake said as he rubbed his temples in his corner. Wolf translated Snakes words as, "Shut up," and he looked around the cell again, this time looking for a way out. He walked over to the bars, wrapped his hands around them and pulled backwards.

The bars did not budge from their position and angrily Wolf kicked them. Of course, that only added to his pain and frustration. The door to the cell was just as strong, and the bars were cemented into the floor. There was no way the K Unit was going to escape at the moment. As Wolf realized this his shoulders slumped and he headed over to the wall to sit down.

"No one's come to see us yet?" Wolf asked as he sat down. Fox came over and sat next to him. "No, I was asleep at my house and I woke up here. Eagle and Snake were already here," Fox said.

Wolf did not say anything to that. What could he say? He woke up with a terrible headache in a strange place with three men he had never expected to see again. Why was he here? Did MI6 have something to do with this? Was this a surprise training session or something?

The questions were making the ache in his head worse and Wolf tried to calm his busy mind. Being mentally unorganized could cause him to make mistakes. If the chance came to escape, he had to be prepared.

………………………………...

It was several torturous hours later that the K Unit finally got to see some action.

The door exactly opposite of the cell opened and six men entered the room. Two of the men wore lab coats; one was snapping his gum and appeared to be in his mid twenties. The other three men were older. Two were in there thirties and the other was older than all of them.

Wolf and his teammates stood immediately to face their captors. The men looked calm as they headed over to the cell and looked over the K Unit, who glared back icily.

"Why are there only four?" The older looking man with thin lips and a walking stick asked unemotionally. Wolf shot a glance at all his team and the message was clear: let them talk while we listen.

"They were a unit and we have two others we plan on putting with them," one of the men in lab coats said as he surveyed the K Unit with narrowed eyes.

"Gregorovich is one, I assume, but the other…?" The old mans question hung in the air a minute before someone answered.

One of the middle-aged scientists went across the room to wear a table with chairs sat. The man must have mashed an unseen button because a square portion of the was came away from the rest and slowly turned itself over.

A large blank screen stared down at the men, and the middle-aged man beside the table mashed another unseen button. A rectangle device that looked like a TV remote popped out from the table and stood straight up. It was grabbed and the man mashed a few more buttons.

On the screen appeared a face that made Wolf's fist's clench in anxiousness and surprise at what he saw.

Alex Rider stared out from the screen with more seriousness in his eyes then any teenager should have. "Cub," Wolf heard Fox whisper and he glanced at his unit.

They all looked surprised. Even the solemn Snake had an anxious expression on his face.

Their captors had not heard Eagle and they stared at the teen's face.

"Is this a joke, Miller?" The old man asked as he turned to the now nervous-looking man.

"No, Mr. Taylor," Miller replied. "This is Alex Rider and I think that after I explain you will understand why I brought him up."

Mr. Taylor sighed and pulled out one of chairs before sitting and waving a hand in permission to continue. "M16 recruited the teen less then a year ago. Do you remember that incident with Julia Rothman?"

"Yes, I was surprised Scorpia did not go into a frenzy of killing sprees," Mr. Taylor said dryly.

One of the scientists stood up. "They did not want to make a big deal out of if because of the way Rothman died." The scientist finished his sentence with a chuckle.

"Alex Rider crushed Julia Rothman with a hot air balloon," Miller said leaning slightly forward as he did so. Mr. Taylor laughed which soon turned into a hacking cough; "Scorpia is our accomplice--" the old man started to say but was cut off.

"And they would pay large amounts of money to see Alex Rider brought low. They can't get him themselves because M16 is threatening them," Miller said in a cocky voice.

Wolf clenched his teeth. These men were talking about going after Cub and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He wanted to scream.

And why in the world were they discussing their plans in front of there prisoners?

The answer came to Wolf immediately; they did not expect them to escape.

"We are not being blackmailed by MI6 and we can not be traced back to Scorpia," another man said slowly. Miller nodded, "We can get a hold of Rider, do what Scorpia wants and still get what we want from the boy."

The other scientist shook his head. "Rider will have to be captured before our plan can work anyway. I've read his file and I think we are underestimating him."

Miller snorted, "He's not even fifteen yet. How much damage can he do? We only want him for the money."

The scientist who had disagreed shook his head again and sighed but did not speak.

"Get Rider after we have Gregorovich," Mr. Taylor said and he stood from his seat.

"Even if Rider isn't everything everyone says he is, we can still get a good deal of money for assuring his death," the old man said with a chuckle that made Wolf's blood boiled.

The men left and the K Unit exchanged worried glances. "What do we do now?" Eagle asked and Wolf shook his head. The scientists and the other men had acted weird. They had not spoken to Wolf or his teammates once. It was almost like they thought they were animals that were not worth their time. Or like were lab rats, Wolf thought with a shiver that he could not suppress.

"I didn't expect to see Cub on that screen," Snake said with a frown.

Eagle and Fox nodded with agreement, "There's no way to warn him either," Fox said as he buried his head in his hands.

"He can still esca--" Eagle started to say but Wolf cut him off. "He's a kid and he won't stand a chance!"

Eagle glared at him and Wolf glared back until the reddish haired man looked away.

"MI6 will probably get us out of here before too long," Wolf said.

Snake spoke up. "Did you hear what they said about Gregorovich? They plan on capturing him too, but I bet they won't manage."

Fox shook his head, "The man faked his own death and is one of the best assassins in the world. They are suicidal for even trying."

Wolf laid down on the cold floor with his arms behind his head. He wished that he had some water to drink but there was no food or water in the cell. His headache was finally coming to an end and Wolf decided to make the best of it and get some sleep while he could.

He was going to need his strength for when they escaped.

………………………………...

Wolf awoke to the sound of a door opening. He got up from his spot on the floor and stood. Snake was already standing and staring at the door along, with Fox. Eagle, on the other hand, was sitting and he did not stand as five men entered.

These men were guards and Wolf did not recognize any of them. They were all muscular and sturdy looking. In between them they dragged a slim, red-haired man by the arms into the room.

With a jolt Wolf recognized the man at the same time Eagle breathed, "They actually _caught_ him," in a incredulous voice. The man being dragged roughly into the room was Yassen Gregorovich. Any hope that Cub might dodge these people's attempts to capture him diminished. If a world-renowned assassin as good as Gregorovich could get captured, Cub certainly would.

Their cell door was unlocked and before the K Unit could try to escape three of there guards brought out guns. Wolf and his unit froze and one of the guards spoke. "Try anything and we'll shoot," he said in a deep, menacing voice.

Wolf believed him and he could not risk getting shot. He could not escape if he had a gaping wound or if they killed him.

Gregorovich was thrown unceremoniously into the cell and the guards backed out, still aiming the guns at the K Unit until they had locked the cell door. As the guards retreated out the door leading into the room, the K Unit stared at Gregorvitch.

Slowly, Snake went to the man lying face down on the hard floor and felt for a pulse.

"He's just unconscious," the Scottish man said as he pulled back his hand from the man's neck.

"Too bad," Wolf muttered honestly and Fox nodded in agreement. It was bad enough being stuck in a cage like an animal, but now they were stuck in the cell with a known assassin. It was not that they thought the red haired man would jump up and try to kill them. It just made Wolf feel weird and more jumpy, at least Gregorovich would be more on there side in this situation.

The door opened and in came two men, one carried a gun the other a pitcher and a large tray of food. The one with the gun was one of the guards from earlier.

Cautiously, they unlocked the cell door and placed the food and pitcher right inside the door with the gun held on them until the door was locked again.

"Make it last," the man with the gun warned before he left.

Walking in a wide circle around Gregorvitch Eagle headed toward the food and water. He picked up the pitcher warily and sniffed the contents. Still wary, Eagle poured a little of the liquid into his cupped palm. "It doesn't smell," Eagle said.

It was clear and tempting, and Wolf realized how thirsty he was when he saw the water. "You think it's clean?" Fox asked the room in general and Eagle shrugged in anwser.

"It doesn't make sense for them to try and kill us now," Snake said. Eagle brought his hand to his mouth and drank while the rest of the K Unit watched with bated breath.

Suddenly Eagle fell over limply, mouth open and water trickling from it. With a muffled curse Wolf jumped forward toward his fallen teammate with Snake and Fox right behind him.

Snake had just put his hand on the fallen man's neck when Wolf saw a smirk coming across Eagle's face.

Rage made Wolf aim a kick at Eagle's side. Eagle burst out in laughter from trhe floor holding his side where Wolf had kicked him.

"Arse," Fox muttered as he punched the now sitting Eagle. Snake just frowned fiercely at the reddish-haired man.

"Eagle, this is no time for jokes!" Wolf hissed fericly and he threw his arms in the air. "We're in a cell with a dangerous _assassin, _Cub is probably being captured as we talk and mad scientists have some weird plan that involves us and I _promise _you that we're _not _going to like it," Wolf almost yelled at his teammate.

Eagle looked a little embarrassed and annoyed but he did not say anything.

"I thought it was funny," a cool voice said thast made Wolf and him teammates jump around in alarm.

Yassen Gregorvitch stared at them with a bored expression, leaning against the cement wall.


	2. Chapter Two: Captured

Alex Rider stared out his bedroom window with a frown. There they were. For the past few days, three men had been watching him, and there they were now, standing outside of his house. Two were smoking cigarettes, and Alex could see the ashes glow red every time they put their cigarettes to their mouths.

One would think that MI6 would be more inconspicuous when spying on someone, but these men were not hiding it.

The teen had been sure that is was MI6 ever since he saw Crawley drop the men outside his house. Alex just wished he knew _why _he was being watched. No one from MI6 had been in touch with him.

Knowing that he was being followed and watched had Alex constantly on edge. The spying had began a few days ago and Alex had recognized a schedule.

There were two shifts, with three men on each shift. The teen wanted to get out of the house. Maybe he would confront one of his watchers about why he was being watched. Maybe he would just wander around the neighborhood, knowing that he was finally free from watchful eyes.

The night time shift was about to end. It was five in the morning and any second now a car would pull up, pick up the men, and let three out.

Their attention would be diverted from the house at that moment and that would be when Alex would move. The teen quietly made his way down the stairs. While Jack was heavy sleeper, Alex did not want to risk drawing her attention.

Alex only had to wait as few minutes for the car to show up. Since there was no back door, the teen had to slip out the front. The car blocked Alex's view of the men and the spy hoped that they would not see him.

Quickly but silently, Alex turned the corner of his house and walked down to the road.

At the stop sign Alex paused. What did he want to do now? It was nice to be out of the house, but there was nowhere he really had to go. The teen made up his mind to go to the park. It was Saturday, so maybe he would meet some of his friends there later in the day.

Alex had not spent time with his friends in months. He was not even sure if they considered him a friend anymore.

There were rumors that Alex had heard—rumors that many at school had spoken loudly around him, aiming to draw some kind of reaction. It never worked and Alex never told what really happened to him when he went away, 'sick.'

Tom was the only one who knew the teen's secret and Alex was sure that his friend would never tell his secret. Thinking of his loyal friend made Alex grin in the soft morning light.

Even thought the school said that Tom was committing social suicide by being around Alex, he never wavered. He had even got in a fight once when some other boy had said something really horrible about Alex.

The Alex never figured out what the bully had said to make Tom had attack him. And Tom would not tell Alex no matter how many times he asked, so the he had finally stopped asking.

Alex decided to take the long way to the park and he walked along the sidewalks of grubby apartment buildings.

Suddenly, Alex was attacked on all sides.

One second the sidewalk was empty except for Alex, the next, men had grabbed the teen. Alex fought against the men the best he could.

A burly man with brown hair grunted as the teen's foot slammed into his nose. Another man slapped the boy harshly and Alex went limp.

The sudden change in weight made the men holding Alex let go. The teen struck out before he had even hit the pavement. With a tight grip on one man's foot, Alex pulled, the man fell with a cry and toppled over one of his teammates with him as he fell.

Alex kicked another man in the knee and a sickening crack mixed with the man's yells of pain rang up and down the street.

The teen stood quickly while the men were still confused and started running as fast as he could, more then five pairs of footsteps followed right behind him.

_Get to a busy area, _Alex chanted in his head. If he got to a busy area with a lot of people, it would provide cover for him.

Maybe the man who were trying to capture him would be cautious and stay away from crowds so that they would not draw attention to themselves.

With his lungs burning and legs pumping Alex turned onto another empty road. Almost groaning aloud Alex realized that he had taken a wrong turn, but by the sound of running feet behind him he knew there was no way he could turn back.

Questions ran through the teen's surging mind as he ran. What did these mwn want with him? Was this M16 or was Scorpia finally coming after him to get revenge?

Pushing these questions away, Alex surged forward faster. There was a main intersection that was just around the corner and Alex gasped as he ran to get there.

He never made it.

Strong arms wrapped around his legs and before he could do anything besides wiggle, the cold barrel of a gun was placed on his temple. Alex froze and right above him a man with wavy black hair, brown eyes, and a cruel smile chuckled as he held the gun steady.

"If you try anything funny, I'll blow your brains out," he growled out with the smile still on his face. The teen was flipped onto his stomach and his hands were pinned behind him.

The teen did not know what to do. It was not supposed to turn out like this. He should be free now and half way to the park. Not lying face down on the ground surrounded by men with guns.

One man was grumbling about something and then wrapped something cold and thin around Alex's wrists.

_A zip tie, _Alex's dizzy brain realized. The tie was pulled painfully tight and Alex's breath hitched against his own will.

The men did not seem to care that they were probably cutting off the circulation in the teen's wrist as they pulled him roughly off the ground.

The man who had previously held the gun to Alex's head smirked at the scared teen.

"Sleep well," he mocked and the last thing Alex heard was the sound of his captors laughing before the butt of the gun came down on his head.

………………………………..

The cement floor rubbed harshly against his knees and legs as he was dragged down the hallway. Two men, one on each side, had a hold on one of his arms in a fierce grip. They were laughing and talking when Alex woke up.

Though he was awake, Alex didn't move.

He wanted to surprise them when he decided to attack. It was hard not to show any signs of consciousness; all Alex wanted to do was punch the people that were dragging him through the halls.

But he knew that he could not do that, so Alex lay limp as possible and tried to ignore the pain in his arms. Instead, the teen tried to focus on what his captors were saying. Anything he could learn might come in handy.

"--will tear the kid up, there's no way he'll last that long," the man on his right said with a disbelieving snort. The man on Alex's left tightened his grip on the teen's arm in anger not even realizing he war hurting the teen.

"You didn't see the tapes of him in action, though. He's pretty good for a kid and you saw what he did to Sean, Jerry," the man contradicted in a careless voice, but his grip on Alex's arm showed his anger.

Jerry on Alex's right started snickering, "Yeah, I did see what the kid did to him." He paused and the teen could hear the Jerry's hair move as the man shook his head.

"If I were you, I wouldn't bet on how long Rider lasts. Sean is going to beat him to death as soon as he gets the chance," Jerry said with humor in his voice that made Alex feel sick.

"The scientists want to see how long he's going to last, though. They won't let Sean near him," the unnamed man said. Jerry sighed. "Rider will piss one of them off, they'll give him to Sean to do whatever he wants to with and in the end the kid will be dead."

Alex could not stand to hear the men talk about his fate anymore and he tried to tune them out. _I have to escape and it'd better be sooner then later, _Alex thought worriedly.

There were no other people around and Alex figured now was as good a time as he would get. Suddenly the teen pulled his legs up to stand and yanked his arms backwards and out of his captor's grips.

The men stumbled slightly and one cursed and spun around--just to get a fist in his surprised face.

Alex twisted his body and aimed a powerful kick at Jerry's abdomen. Jerry fell to his knees with a grunt and Alex kicked the man's jaw relentlessly. The man fell to the ground, limp and unconscious.

Alex turned in time to dodge the other man's arms and as the man stumbled past, the teen turned his palm and chopped into the back of the man's neck.

He fell with a moan of pain right next to his partner.

Alex grabbed the two guns that were in the holsters at the guard's sides and wondered why the men had not grabbed them immediately.

The teen turned to go back up the long corridor but stopped to listen just after taking a few steps. He could just barely hear the sound of laughter. He did not want to run into the people.

Alex would need all the time he could get and as soon as someone saw the unconscious guards the alarm would sound. The teen turned and ran as quietly as possible up the corridor and he jumped over the two unconscious men blocking the hall.

The blond ran with the guns held carefully away from his body but ready to shoot if he had to. At the end of the corridor he saw a heavy metal door.

When he reached the door Alex took a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily.

He hoped that the room would be empty. The teen did not want to spill any blood, but to protect himself, he would. Alex decided to open the door quickly instead of slowly.

If someone saw the door opening they would have more time to arm themselves. The teen could not risk that. With his guns held steady and ready to fire Alex threw open the door.

After quickly surveying the room, Alex realized that he was the only person out in the open. The walls were made of heavy cement and Alex knew that the room was designed not to let any noise pass through the walls. The teen shut the door with his leg before moving to look around some more.

He took a step into the room and a sudden movement made him jerk around to aim both guns at the source of the movement. From behind thick bars a familiar face stared at him in surprise.

It was from shock that Alex lowered the guns. "Wolf?" he whispered to the man that was still staring at him. More faces that Alex recognized appeared around Wolf.

The teen blinked as he took in the K Unit behind bars and tried to figure out what was going on. "Cub," Wolf said and that was all he seemed to be able to say.

Without waiting for anything else, Alex clicked one of the guns on safety and tucked it into his jeans as he moved toward the cell.

"What's going on?" Alex asked bluntly as he studied the door to the cell to try and figure out how to set his old teammates free.

"We were taken prisoner by this group of wackos. What's to tell?" Eagle asked sarcastically. Alex did not answer but studied the door. There was an old-fashioned padlock that held the door shut and Alex bit his lip in thought.

"I don't know where the key--" Fox started to say but Alex cut him of with a command of, "Move."

The K Unit quickly got away from the door and Alex shot the padlock, which flew off to the side and landed with a heavy thud. The teen pulled the door open and moved out the way for the surprised K Unit to come out.

Wolf came out first and he nodded at Alex in thanks while looking at him curiously. The teen did not say anything but he pulled the other gun from his pants. He held it out to Wolf while the rest of the K Unit came out of the cell.

Wolf took the gun with a grateful look. Alex turned to leave the room, after all they only had a little time make an escape but another man standing in the doorway of the cell caught his attention.

"Alex," Yassen said without any emotion in his voice. The teen wondered if his day could get any weirder and if anyone could hear the gears shifting in his head. The man was supposed to be dead.

Alex had been there when he had died. But this was no time to ask question so the teen just said, "Yassen," in a steady tone.

Alex turned away from the assassin to look around the room. There were no guns in sight, but there was a large Swiss army knife sitting on a table.

The teen went over and grabbed the knife Anything could come in handy. With that in mind, Alex turned back the K Unit and ignored Yassen. It was just to weird to see him alive. The K Unit was also looking for weapons Snake pulled open a drawer and found another gun, but that was all they found in their search.

"Okay Cub, how many people are in this place and where are we at?" Wolf asked all business as him and all the other men turned to face the teen.

"I don't know I woke up as two of them were dragging me down the hallway They'll be found soon," Alex said and Wolf nodded. "We should go quietly, try to take them by surprise, and then we're going to have to fight our way out," Wolf said.

Fox, Snake and Eagle nodded seriously, "Can you handle that gun, Cub?" Wolf asked in a no-nonsense tone.

Alex nodded without saying anything and together the five men and the teen headed toward the door. It opened quietly and they moved out of the room and down the hall.

**A/N: **So here is the second chapter. I'm going to warn you people now, this _will not _be a happy story. You are safe from violence for the first few chapters but after that you might want to watch it. I don't want to scare anybody with violence, I _will _be putting up warning on the chapters with the violence.


	3. Chapter Three: Failed Attempt

They went down the hall silently and carefully, with Wolf in the lead and Yassen in the back. The longer it took for someone to find out that they were no longer captives the better. Alex saw Eagle smirk down at the guards the teen had knocked unconscious earlier.

Wolf looked like he wanted to kick the men but with obvious effort he moved on down the hallway with his gun held high. Snake followed right behind him, then Eagle, Alex, Fox and finally a calm-looking Yassen.

They had just reached the corner of the hall and just beyond that they could hear voices talking in low tones. Wolf glanced at his team, looked around the corner then nodded firmly to his team.

The K Unit jumped around the corner at their leader's signal with Alex and Yassen right there with them.

The room was very wide and contained a lot of people at the moment. A woman in a lab coat was the first to notice them, she let out a shriek and dropped a tray loaded with glass vials. The vials broke into millions of pieces on the floor and Wolf waved his gun threateningly.

"Up against the wall now!" Wolf shouted out and more then half the people did just that, but others were not so eager to cooperate.

More then ten guards ran at the K Unit and Yassen. Some guards pulled out radios and spoke urgently into them as they ran. Wolf and Alex started shooting at the guards' legs. They did not want to kill them only injure them.

Thanks to his trainings with Scorpia, Alex was a pretty good shot, and even though he did not like it, the teen shot several men. Survival was the most important thing at the moment. He could examine his conscience later.

Long before it should have been empty, though, the gun ran out of ammunition, to Alex's dismay. But, Alex thought as he used the butt of the gun to knock a guard down, it's still useful. Throwing the empty gun down to the floor, Alex let loose a swift kick to the gut of a brave or foolish scientist who had tried to help the guards.

Alex dared to look around quickly and was pleased to see that his teammates were holding their own. The number of guards was down dramatically. Anytime now it would be over.

And it was over quickly, but not the way Alex had hoped for.

Wolf had just knocked over the last guard when the sound of many feet made Alex spin around. A line of guards stood across the room with one gun each.

Standing in front of these guards was one older-looking man in a lab coat and he was clapping.

"Very good, I didn't expect the show to be that exciting," the man said. "I'm Mr. Pearson, it's nice to meet you," he said and then he smiled and flicked his hand.

The next second Alex felt something slam into his chest making his step back. The teen looked down, already feeling dizzy, to see the end of a dart sticking out of his chest. The next second Alex fell over sideways to the ground; the came to stand over him in his tunneling vision.

"Nighty night Mr. Rider," he whispered wickedly with a smirk and Alex's eyes fluttered closed.

………………………………...

The left side of his face was freezing as it lay against a cold stone floor. Alex opened his eyes slightly to look around his surrounding without moving.

He was staring at a corner; the floor was made of smoothed cement and the walls out of gray bricks. Alex could hear lowered voices talking behind him and he recognized those of Wolf, Eagle, and Fox.

The teen rolled onto his back to stare at the clean white ceiling and the voices quieted.

Wolf's grim looking face appeared over him and Alex stared at not making a move to get up.

"They caught us again," Wolf said.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I didn't notice."

Wolf's brown eyes narrowed but Alex heard Eagle snicker in the background.

"Don't be a smart ass, Cub. This isn't the time," Wolf growled fiercely and Alex sat up to look around and ignore the leader of K Unit.

Yassen was watching him with a blank expression from a corner. Snake was lying on his back, still unconscious, just a few feet away and they were in another cell.

Alex took all this in as he stood and wiped his palms of on his hooded shirt. This cell was larger than the one Alex had seen earlier. There was a ratty-looking bunk in one corner and a door-less doorway that probably led to a toilet.

The teen turned to Wolf with a hundred questions ready to fire but the man held up his hands.

"We don't really know why they brought us hear, why they chose us to annoy or who they are," Wolf said in one breath and Eagle chose this moment to speak up.

"I'm a very interesting person so that explains why they would want me, but I don't understand why they kidnapped you all," he said in mock confusion and Wolf glared at him Eagle just smiled.

Wolf rolled his eyes and moved to sit on the bed. "They mentioned that Scorpia wanted revenge on you," he said to Alex. "You'd better not be the reason we're here are you because if you are…" Wolf trailed of menacingly.

"Why would they kidnap all of you if they only wanted me," Alex said. Wolf shrugged.

"They're crazy. How should I know how their minds work?" the man said, sounding grumpy, and Alex moved to look out from the bars.

The room beyond the bars was empty of people and everything else. The lock on the door was much more high-tech than the old padlock that Alex had blasted apart.

There was no way out of the cell as far as Alex could see. They would just have to wait and see what was going to happen.

"What did you do to Scorpia?" Fox asked from beside Eagle and Alex turned toward them, Should I tell them? He wondered as he unconsciously bit his already nonexistent fingernail.

In the end he did not have to say a thing, Yassen took care of that for him.

"He squashed one of their more important members. Julia Rothman," the man said and Alex would swear that he was almost smiling.

"How would you know? You were supposed to be dead," Alex said making sure to stretch the word dead.

This time Yassen did smile and Alex narrowed his eyes at the faired-haired man before turning away. The teen was extremely curious about Yassen still being alive, but he did not pursue the subject right now.

At that moment Snake groaned from his spot on the floor and Eagle said loudly, "Took you long enough."

"Shut up," Snake moaned as he sat up to rub his head. Eagle just grinned and Snake, stood albeit a little wobbly.

The blond haired man took in the new cage with a sour expression,

"Thought their pets needed a new pen did they?" he asked unpleasantly to no one in particular.

"Apparently so," Wolf said without any humor as he glared at the room beyond the cells bars.

"It's almost like they were waiting for us. I'd be sure of it if it wasn't for how they reacted at first," Snake said with a shake of his head.

Wolf nodded but did not speak. "Did you see that guy who wore that smug smile?" Eagle said with a theatric shiver.

"Yes," said Alex as he remembered the man who had

"I saw him say something to you before you blacked out, what was it?" Wolf asked Alex curiously and the teen thought back.

His memory before he fell into unconsciousness was a little fuzzy but after a second he remembered, "You probably heard him say, 'very good, I didn't expect the show to be that exciting, right?'"

The K Unit nodded, but Yassen did not bother to answer.

"All he told me was 'nighty night,'" Alex said with a small grin.

"Nighty night?" Eagle said with a snort and Alex smiled slightly and nodded.

"Crazy," Alex heard Wolf mutter and he shot an amused look toward the man.

"Who here has been captured before?" Yassen asked in a unemotional voice and quiet descended in the cell.

Eagle was the first to speak. "Do you mean put in a cell or just captured?"

Yassen shrugged. "Both," he said.

Eagle pursed his lips in thought before replying, "Nope, never been caught."

Yassen looked around waiting for someone else to speak. "I was once but I got away quickly," Snake said. "I didn't learn anything that could help us either."

Wolf sighed. "What about you Cub?" Alex sat down on the cold floor. After all there was no where else to sit besides the bed and Wolf had already claimed it.

"I've been caught a few times," he said nonchalantly. "Why?"

The K Unit was staring at him and Yassen was looking pleased as he asked, "Did they ever try to loosen your lips?"

Alex froze. "You mean did them--torture me?"

Yassen nodded. "Tortured or threatened, did they ever do that to you?"

"I've had people threatened to and they beat me up, but as far as using me as a cutting board, no," Alex said.

"How did you act towards your captors?" Wolf asked and he leaned forward but Alex frowned but answered.

"I insulted them to get them mad, hoping that they would make a mistake," Alex said blankly and Eagle started laughing. "It works--most of the time," Alex mumbled and even Wolf cracked a smile.

"That's probably not the best way to deal with them," Fox said slowly.

"You got that right," Alex muttered and Yassen raised an eyebrow. "Someone almost cut my pinkie finger off," Alex said indigently and he wiggled said finger weakly.

Fox and Eagle laughed at Alex who glared halfheartedly at them. Just then the door opened and in came many guards, some with guns and all with grim expressions.

Alex, the K Unit and Yassen stood immediately as the men headed over to them without pause.

"Don't fight us," one guard warned as he opened the cell door.

"Why would do a thing like that?" Alex asked with a wicked grin. The guards froze and most glared at him,

"Watch it Rider," one growled out and Alex smiled sweetly. He was going to enjoy messing with their minds.

The guards came in, half of them with guns in their hands. Alex, Yassen and the K Unit did not dare fight them. The guards pulled their hands behind their backs, handcuffed them and got ready to lead them out of their cell.

Alex was planning on taking in as much detail in as he could. Details could matter later when he got a chance to escape. But he never got the chance because the guards took out pieces of cloth and blindfolded them.

The cloth was pitch back and folded twice so there was no way Alex could see past it. The guard behind him tightened the blindfold and Alex tried not to wiggle under the uncomfortable fabric.

Without speaking the guard led them out of the cell, even though he could not see Alex was still going to pay attention as to what direction they were going. The guards were leading them some where Alex was sure he would not want to be.

When I escape I'll make sure I don't go this way, Alex thought.

Sadly, it did not work out the way Alex had hoped it would. He memorized the first few places they turned but there were too many corners and Alex was quickly lost.

The blond teen frowned as he stumbled slightly; it was hard walking blindfolded and having to trust men that would not care if he got injured. Someone snickered at Alex's stumble and the teen molded his face to an uncaring expression. He would not let them see him weak. A few minutes later they entered a room, Alex could smell coffee in the air and he knew that this was their stop.

The guards stopped pushing him forward, let go of his bound hands and removed his blindfold.

Alex blinked in the bright room. The light difference made him squint as his eyes adjusted. His eyes finally got used to their surroundings and Alex looked around him.

The K Unit and Yassen were lined up beside him in perfect order. They were also blinking or squinting. They were in a big room, it was fancy with large abstract paintings hanging from the walls and dark wood furnishings.

The largest piece of furniture was a table--and around it sat seven severe looking men, most in white coats. Alex was finally going to meet the scientists.

**A/N: **Here you go guys, I did not give up this story. This document had the underline/italics problem but I fixed that before I posted it.

**Taylor5795, Lal Mirch, **I got it from the library, lol. My wallet sighed with releif and no, there will be no similarity to Bobby. **Jusmine, **Raven Rise? Is that the next book in the series? Thanks, glad you liked it. **Faiyaryuu, Jossi-kun, Rmiller92, **Yeah, It was not my favorite eithier, I only got interested near the end. **PleiadesWolfe, **Your right, ten points to Pleiades! **Destinystar105, **No! You were not harsh, I just did not understand. Thank you for explaining it. **Alex-rider-girl, Gold is Power, R-Gomeni, 00jade, **Nope, they did not manage it. **Meia-Noite, **Thanks for your review. **Neptunian Diamond, **Cool, thanks so much. **Aimed mischief, **(Scratches head) I don't remember, (frown). Oh well, thanks for the review! **SheWeapon1, **Lol, thanks. I'll keep doing whatever I'm doing, (snicker). **Illusjon, **Thanks for the review, sorry if I missed something. **SkyRider, Kuleyhawk2, Oliveoil889, BellaBooTwilight, **ROFL, Yep, just like Alex. You knew what I meant! **Suiterose, **Lol, Glad I can't scare you. **Jake Caldefore, **Sorry about your computer. I hate it when they act up, thanks for the review. **HighonDr.Pepper, **I like CiaM better too and I'm going to make things hard on them as you saw in this chapter.

**Charcoal colored Stag, Rasgara, Mystery Gal, **We will see….evil laugh. **Ninjamonkeyts3, Vampireassassin, DarkAngel667, **I'm not going to stop writing, (although I'm not to sure where this story is headed, wince) **Oceanspray, **Thanks, what a compliment!** Aquanova, **Don't know but I'm writing a new story and he will have a MOJOR part in that. **RiGhteO, **Thanks for your reviews. **Oirishgodess, **(Snicker) Thanks for your brilliant review! **JaBoyYa, The Wall, **I'm not going to fall of the planet, lol. **Hylian-dragoness, **I don't know why but it sure was annoying, I was SO mad, lol. **Abyssgirl, Lady Shadow Of Time, HaydenBlossom, ThReE AqUiLa, **Thanks so much!


	4. Chapter Four: Meeting The Devil

"Ahh," said one scientist slowly. Alex recognized him immediately. He was the one who had wished him 'nighty night' before the teen had blacked out. His name was Mr. Pearson, and he seemed to be running the show.

"K Unit and the infamous Yassen Gregorovich," said Pearson with a cold smile. His dark, cruel eyes bored into each of them, landing on Alex last and lingering on him before turning to the scientist next to him.

"I want this conversation recorded, Conner," he murmured almost too quietly for Alex to hear. Conner nodded and moved to exit the room, while Pearson stood and walked comfortably over to his captives.

"Your wondering why you're here," Pearson said as he studied each of them, starting from the left and working his way to the right slowly.

"I'm going to tell you, although you won't like the answer," he said as he reached a glaring Wolf. Pearson smiled at Wolf's glare and turned away from them. "We are scientists, devoted to our job. We studied life to the fullest extent possible--but we wanted more than what we were allowed."

Pearson sighed and turned back to them and they watched him with wary eyes.

"We wanted to know how much the human body could take before it shut down. But we wanted a fresh, completely healthy subject and no one would allow us to perform our studies on a healthy human," Pearson's voice was bitter and Alex felt revulsion toward the man.

"Why? What are you going to get out of this by slicing us up?" Yassen asked. Pearson smiled, "We are scientists Gregorovich. It's our job to study life and when someone wants to prevent you from doing your job--you do it anyway."

One of the men at the table chuckled, "No matter how unpleasant it may be for you," he said with an Italian accent.

The teen was starting to see where this was going. They wanted to perform tests and study him like a lab rat. Alex glanced at his teammates and Yassen, they looked like they understood where this was going as well. Eagle was pale and Wolf was shaking from suppressed anger while Yassen looked calm, except for how his eyes kept flickering around the room, most likely looking for escape routes.

Pearson was watching them. "I see you understand where I'm going with this," he said and Alex clenched his teeth.

"Why us?" Wolf growled and Pearson laughed harshly before turning to him.

"Don't flatter yourself, we've captured more men than just you for our experiments," he said.

No one said anything but the was still a question hanging in the air that no one wanted to ask, it did not matter anyway because Pearson answered it.

"Most of you won't survive the tests we will perform," Pearson said, as if it was obvious. "We would not want to run out of people to perform our test's on now would we?"

Wolf cracked. With a snarl he tried to throw himself at the scientists, who did not move. They did not have to. The guards had Wolf in a tight hold, which he could not escape no matter how much he fought.

"Were going to have to sedate you if you continue," Pearson said calmly. With great reluctance Wolf stopped fighting and slumped slightly in the guards' hold. He was breathing heavily and there was murder in his eyes.

Alex looked at the man worriedly. He hoped that Wolf would not get himself in trouble. They would need his help when the time came to escape and he could not help if he was unconscious or drugged.

"I've taken an interest in all of you," Pearson said as if nothing had happened. "There is a history between Alex and the K Unit based firmly on loathing. Then there is Yassen who is only linked to Alex through his father," Pearson had everyone listening to him and if the smile was anything to go by, he knew it.

"As we precede with our tests it will be interesting to see how your relationship changes and if it changes at all. I have already seen how you put aside your differences to try and escape," Pearson said and he glanced at his fellow white coats.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we were impressed by how well you worked together." The scientists nodded and muttered their agreements.

"We set it up so that you could escape just to see how you handled the situation. But it was still surprising that you acted so controlled under the circumstances."

Pearson turned to Alex and the teen stiffened as he watched the man warily.

"I was impressed with you Alex most of all," he said with a thin smile. "A man who you thought was dead shows up alive and in the least expected place…yet you do not ask questions. Your first priority is to escape."

"So?" Alex asked rudely. Maybe he could get them mad so that they would make a mistake.

But sadly for Alex, Pearson just smiled thinly. "You're a survivor and I'm sure you will make a very interesting test subject."

Alex fought back a shudder but kept his gaze on Pearson, who was watching him with his dark, uncaring eyes.

Pearson came closer until he was face to face with the teen. "Are you scared Alex?" the man whispered unemotionally.

"Go to hell," Alex snarled viciously and spat in the man's face. Annoyance and disgust crossed Pearson's face as he stepped back and drew a handkerchief from his pocket. "You should be scared, Rider. You should be quaking in your shoes."

"Return them to their cell. I want the little one in room 125 in an hour; I think he needs a sample of what I'm talking about," Pearson said to the guards without turning his head away from Alex's glaring gaze. The blindfold went back in place and Alex was once again rendered helpless and at the guards' mercy.

The teens arm were grabbed roughly and he was wrenched around to be walked to the door.

Behind him the rest of the K Unit and Yassen were being treated in the same fashion. They were back in there cell in a matter of minutes and there blindfolds and bonds were removed.

"Well, that was creepy," Eagle muttered.

Fox replied sarcastically, "No really?" while shaking his head.

"Well at least we know what their motives are," Wolf said as he paced the room.

"Yeah, they want to cut us up and sew us back together," Alex muttered with a shiver that he could not repress.

"I'm sure MI6 will find us soon," Fox said reassuringly but It did the exact opposite for Alex. He as reminded of the time he had called for help at Point Blanc and how he had ended up escaping.

MI6 never answered his call for help like they should have. They hung back. If Alex had not reacted the way he had, Dr. Greif would have used him as a science experiment.

It was happening all over again, but would MI6 actually come this time?

Alex did not think so.

"MI6 won't come for us," he said. Alex could feel the K Unit looking at him from behind and Yassen watching him from the corner.

"Why do you say that?" Yassen asked in his smooth voice.

"I've called them before, they did not trust me enough to come to the rescue," Alex said.

Yassen nodded. "You're their only teen spy, their secret weapon which has comer in

handy more then five times. If they know what you are worth, they will come," the Russian said.

"You make him sound like a machine gun, Gregorvitch," Wolf said.

Yassen shrugged. "To them, he is the ultimate machine gun." Eagle laughed at that and Yassen grinned at the man.

Wolf was staring at the incredulously. "They want to cut us up and you're making jopkes?" he said desperately.

"Wolf's right," Fox said. "I admire the whole 'let's keep calm and make jokes' thing but we really need a plan."

"It won't do any good to come up with a plan here, Fox," Yassen said. "If they want to study us, they must have bugged this room. They are probably listening to our every word."

Wolf stood up from the cot. "Let us out, you freaks!" he yelled angrily. Alex was not sure whether to quiet the man or join him as he screamed abuse at the ones holding them against their will. They were going to come for him soon. His hour of waiting was almost up and he had a pretty good idea what Pearson had been talking about. Alex was not eager to find out if he was right.

…………………………….

Even though they did not know it, MI6 was frantically looking for them and more than thirty other men that had gone missing. Their searching would be in vain.

**A/N: Sorry fior the short update folks. Check out my yahoo group! We need more members if we are going to do some of the stuff I have planned! The link is in my profile, please think about joining. **

**Alyzabeth Tyler: **I do love impressing people, (smile). **RiGhTeO**: Thanks so much! **Jusmine: **Yes, that was a mistake. Thanks so much for pointing it out! **Illusjon: **I have never gotten so many 'pleases' in one review, lol. I know it would have been better but they have to be tortured first, sorry. Thanks for all you enthusiastic reviews! **Lake25, **Hey! Yeah, getting away does not go with the small plot I have. Thanks fore reviewing! **Gold is power, 00jade, Mad Mogg, Flit, **Yes, I always make that mistake! Sorry and thanks for pointing it out! **Embry, highonDr.Pepper, **Lol, he sure is. Hopefully before they make _him _go insane. **Mystery Gal, **Thanks! **Wings-Out-Spread, Rasgara, **Lol, yep he sure does. **digMist, Sir Spamalot, Taylor5795, BellaBooTwilight, **Lol, cheekiness rocks. **Orishgoddess, **Thanks so much, sorry updating has been slow. **Mizu1411, Alex-rider-girl, Jaboyya, Lee Pyro, PleiadesWolfe, **The bad guys like to gloat because if they did not, us poor readers would be left in the dark for like, forever, lol. **Agent lunar, Kayli, Jossi-kun, SheWeapon1, **Thanks, sorry but this will be gloomy for a while. No escape in sigh, (sigh). **Freakily obsessed Yasen fan, **You got to get a shorter name, lol. Thanks, sorry about the mistake. **Kayli, HollyandMisltoe, SauraCa. **


	5. Chapter Five: Old Fashioned

**_A/N:_ **There is **VIOLENCE **in this chapter. No barfing up spleens or anything, lol. Just blood and twisted minds, nothing too new.

...

They came for him about an hour later. Alex was awoken by unfriendly hands that dragged his half unconscious body upright. He tried to shake the hands off so that he could stand on his own, but they were stronger than him.

It was annoying to say the least. And dread mixed with the annoyence at knowing whee they were taking him.

Alex could see the K Unit watched helplessly while Yassen was making himself invisible in the corner. The teen knew it was not an act of cowardice, just a natural habit to hide in the shadow. In the shadows you could observe rather then beobserved.

Alex had done the same thing a number of times before.

The slim man looked pained as Alex was taken away. Alex met his eyes and saw the intense dismay reflected in them. Dismay for what Alex was going to go through once he left the room.

Yassen did not try to stop the guards from taking him, it was not worth it. They had guns and were not afraid to use them. Alex was forced to go out of the room and down the dim corridor. He knew what he was heading for and mentally prepared himself for it.

They were planning to kill him with their experiments and tests. His life was not important to them; he was just another test subject.

Alex knew this, but how anyone could be so utterly insane and coldhearted was beyond him.

And there were plenty more test subjects, if Alex was to die--it would just show them how much the human body could handle. He was being led to his death. It would not be immediate, but a slow and painful. He would hang on the edge between death and life. Alex knew that before this was over, he would be wishing for death.

_Like a horror movie, _Alex thought, _where you laughed at some of the scenes because they were just _so_ unreal. _

_You figure nothing like that will ever happen to you, _Alex thought. He was in that movie, and the scientists were the audience. They may not go as far as laugh at their human test tubes, although Alex would not put it past them.

What torture would they have for him first? Was it physical or would they mentally destroy him first? His question was answered too quickly for Alex's tastes. They had been walking for a while and Alex was caught off balance when he was thrown into a room. Room 125 was nothing to brag about: it was dirty, filthy almost.

And Pearson standing in the middle of the room made it much less attractive. "Long time no see, Alex," the man said. Alex sneered at he man, wishing he was closer so he could spit on him again.

Alex was taken to the center of the room. It had ropes hanging from the ceiling. Brown blood stains clung to the entwined rope. The teen stared at it, trying to understand how a mind could become so twisted.

Alex arm was grabbed and lifted toward one of the ropes. He did not struggle as it was tied around his wrist. "You wanted to test me, Alex. You will have to learn that I'm the only one here allowed to perform tests," Pearson said.

He laughed at his own joke while Alex stared in horror. "You're a maniac, Pearson," he said.

Pearson sighed. "You'll learn your place soon, boy, I'll make sure you are not damaged too much." The scientist headed to the door. "You brought this on yourself, Alex Rider."

Alex's other hand was tied up as well. He was almost suspended above the ground, his feet barely touching the rough, cold floor. The blood was already starting to drain out of his arms, and the circulation in his wrists was cut off.

The man tying him up did not speak as he did his job. Then he was left alone, but only for a minute. A black, long sleeved shirt was what Alex saw first. Then the face that would make girls swoon filled Alex's vision.

The man could not have been older then twenty, but he was corrupted with wickedness. That was what Alex understood. The man's face could fool anyone. But the leather whip in his hand was a giveaway.

Smiling, the young man walked over to Alex and looked him over. "I've never worked with children before," the man said.

"And your name is?" Alex asked with venom.

"Sawyer, not that it's any of your business," Sawyer said. "I already know your name Rider; I'll be your tormentor this evening, in case you did not know."

Alex snorted. "I figured that out when you came in with a _whip_."

Sawyer nodded and glanced at a blank wall. "You keep your head in situations like these, I see," he muttered. Alex was staring at the blank wall Sawyer had glanced at. _Are those goons watching me now_? Alex wondered.

"Don't miss anything, either," Sawyer had seen his glance toward the wall.

Alex did not speak but stared at Sawyer. He wished the man would get it over with already; waiting for the pain was painful itself.

"I've made grown men cry, Rider. Will you be like them?" Sawyer asked quietly. Alex glared at him but did not speak. He did not want to cry in front of the man and the scientists.

It would seem like a victory on their part to Alex. Sawyer liked that Alex did not comment. "No comment eh? I'll make you talk and cry before I'm done with you. I've been told I'll have many more sessions to do it."

Alex almost rolled his eyes. If this were a movie, they needed more convincing actors. Sawyer had yet to use his whip, what was he waiting for?

But then the man moved forward, dropped the whip and took a knife out from his pocket. Flicking the blade open, Sawyer pulled Alex's shirt away from his chest and cut it straight down where the buttons would be.

A couple more slices with the sharp knife and the remnants of the shirt fell. "I hope you plan on paying for that?" Alex said looking at the tatters on the floor.

Nothing answered him except for the whistle in the air. Alex did not have time to brace himself as the leather whip sliced his skin. He gasped once before biting his tongue.

A second slash was added to the one already on his back, then another. "Does it hurt, Rider?" Sawyer asked from behind. The urge the hurt someone had never been so strong before. Alex wished his hands were untied to he could use them.

There would be no forgiveness if he got a hold on Sawyer. The man was sick.

Alex squeezed his eyes shut right before the whip cut into his skin. It was hitting hard enough to break the skin; blood ran in small rivulets down his back.

Sawyer used the whip on Alex again and again. The leather cut into his skin, ripping it amidst to shreds.

At one point tears of pain welled up in Alex eyes. They never fell, for that Alex was grateful.

The teen never begged. He would not be brought to that so quickly. Pain would not last, bruises would heal and hopefully the enemy would die in the end.

Small gasps of pain made their way past his lips. It was the closest thing to screaming that Alex did.

Alex had stopped trying to hold himself up when Sawyer moved to his front. He raised the whip and Alex was ready to feel the immense pain searing across his chest--but in never came.

Someone had entered the room and was talking to Sawyer. It was Pearson. Sawyer nodded and moved back to Alex as Pearson left.

"It seems are play date is over, Alex, old chap," he said. His hand clapped Alex on the back, right on his cuts. Gasping, Alex tried to twist away but gave up.

Sawyer's hand ran down his back slowly, the blood smearing all over. "I'll see you back here soon, Rider," Sawyer whispered.

"I'm going to kill you one day," Alex promised hoarsely. Sawyer chuckled and guards came into the room and cut Alex wrists free, the rope still wrapped around them.

Alex stumbled and was dragged to his cell more then walked to it. He saw the K Unit sit up straight when he came into their sight.

"Here's your little boy back," one of the guards said mockingly and the other guffawed stupidly. "Alex..." one of them whispered in a horrified voice.

The door to the cell was thrown open and then Alex was shove brutally inside. The loss of blood and the way he had been pushed made him stumble. He fell to the cold floor but never hit it.

Arms were holding him up from under his armpits; warm arms that made Alex relax and close his eyes. He was picked up gently by another pair of arms. Some voice in the back of his head told him to be embarrassed about the attention, but Alex told the voice to shut up.

His eyes opened as he was taken across the room, Yassen looked down at him with grim sadness. Alex blinked, "I can stand, Yassen. I don't break that easily," he said.

But his voice was tired and when Alex decided to struggle, pain lanced through him. "Stop it,"snapped Yassen, his eyes flashing in annoyance and worry.

Alex rolled his eyes; he could not believe Yassen was carrying him. "He's right, Cub," Snake said. Alex was placed on the small bed carefully so that he lay on his side facing them.

"Let us handle the injuries and then you can argue, okay?" Snake said. Alex sighed slightly. He knew they needed to be taken care of. Alex would not be able to help anyone if the wounds got infected.

"They brought in a bowl of water and some washrags after you were taken away," Wolf said, looking useless as he stood there.

"Bring them over Wolf," Snake demanded as he climbed over Alex to look at his back.

"They really did a number on you, didn't they?" Snake grumbled as he looked at the stripes decorating Alex's skin.

Alex grunted in a noncommittal tone. "Roll over on your stomach," Snake instructed gently. Alex complied, fighting back a groan of pain as he did so.

He turned his head on his arms to watch as Wolf handed the bowl of water to Snake over his back.

"What did he use?" Eagle asked with a frown. Their youngest friend snorted. When they looked at him inquiringly he smiled grimly. "A whip."

"A…whip?" Wolf said incredulously.

"Like a horse whip?" Fox asked as he peered at the wounds. Alex could not see the man's face in the position he was in, but he nodded.

There was silence except for the sounds of water dripping from the washcloth. Without any warning the cloth was wiped over Alex's skin around the wounds. He flinched and Snake paused. "Are you okay?"

His symphetic question was met with a nod. "It's just cold," Alex said and Snake chuckled lightly.

Alex's back was cleaned gently; the cloth cleaned away the blood with Snake's even hand. Alex closed his tired eyes and was tempted to sleep

A cloth the size of a towel was placed over Alex's back. "Just to catch any blood that might still come out of the wounds," Snake said.

"He should not move for a while," Yassen said the K Unit.

"Keeping Cub in the bed is what you need to worry about. He don't like to sit still," Eagle said.

Alex grinned to himself; he had no thoughts about moving. "Which one of us do you think they'll come for next?" Fox asked quietly. Maybe he thought Alex was asleep. The teen opened his eyes and looked at them.

They were sitting in the middle of the room. Fox was watching him and their eyes met.

"Wolf," Alex said. The man looked up, "What?"

"They'll come for you next," he said in a sure voice.

"You think that because he's caused a riot," Yassen said and Alex nodded. The nod pulled at the torn skin near his neck. He would have to remember not to nod anymore.

"It makes sense," Eagle said. "They want obedient little test tubes. Not _bad _test tubes like Wolf man here."

Alex closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep but was scared that when he woke up, he would still be here. He knew it was not some nightmare. The pain he felt not told him that much.

His consciousness was against him, though. Even though he tried to keep his eyes opened, they shut of their own accord.

**A/N: **(Looks out from her hiding hole) Hehe, Hi guys…you're not thinking murderous thoughts are you? I did say this was not going to be a happy story. Please review, am I good at torture? Time to thank the reviewers.

**Mystery gal, digimist, masqueradingHEART, Jusmine, **Thank you for pointing out those typos. I appreciate it a lot. **AleksandryaGregonovitch, Alyzabeth Tyler, alex-rider-girl, freakily obsessed Yasses fan, **Hey, PW. (grin) I was just joking about your long name. I almost called myself 'The Thief of Attolia' lol. The thing is, I don't _have _a plot! (Screams) What am I going to do? Thank you for reviewing. **Swabloo, **I know, short chapters are common in this story. Lol, glad you want torture. You are goingh ti get plenty of it. **Kayli, BellaBooTwilight, **Thank you, I love the AR characters. Fan Fiction just makes me love them so much more. **Gold is Power, Rasqara, OddlySane, fattoad, PleiadesWolfe, **All they have is each other, they got to stick together Pleiades. Thank you for the review. **randomness, Mizu1411, Vampassassin, **Thank you, I do try. Hope this reached the same standard as chapter four. **00jade, RiGhTeO, **Thanks a lot for your brilliant review. Yes, Wolf is cracking. He needs to get his act together though. **Oirishgoddess, **(Wince) I told you this would _not _be a happy story. Lol, yeah room 125 is not good. But what is worse is that if there are that many rooms, what waits for them in the other rooms? You know what I mean? Take a deep breath dear, this is not for the faint hearted. **Charmed786, **Lol, get Leo to heal you. Sorry about the long wait. I have no insperation when it comes to torture. **threeaquila, **The same way as the books? What is that way? Thanks for reviewing. **HollyandMisltoe, SheWeapon1, **If your evil I'm the devil. After all, I'm the one writing the torture and spending my free time thinking up new ones, lol. Glad you don't mind me being mean to them. **Brittany, **Thank you. **randomness, **Lol, okay. I may not kill him, don't really want a ghost haunting me. **ladylookslikeadude, **I was wondering, 'v? is that some sort of weird smiley?' lol. Thank you for reviewing. **hylian-dragoness, **Your not being a 'meany head' lol. Thank you for pointing it out. I sure hope he is not on crack, (looks scared). **XsuicideXkittyX, Jack of Trade, **(preens under the attention) I'm made of awesome, how cool is that? Thank you.


	6. Chapter Six: Taken Away

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to **Snowember, **for reminding me of something important whether she/he knows it or not and **Nyxelestia **for being honest and helping me.

"I think I hear them…." Alex awoke to Snake's soft voice. He was laying on the bed facing the wall. Sometime during the night he had turned over. At least he was unconscious not to feel the pain it would of caused.

_Night, _Alex thought, his eyes opening to see the darkness. _But I really don't know if it _is _nighttime, _her thought.The light in the cell and in the room outside never changed. A dim light that made you feel like squinting to see. The temperature was also the same at all times, slightly cool air that at times was cold.

Sitting up, Alex saw that nothing had changed. The K Unit were watching the door, Yassen…where was Yassen?

A sound of rustling fabric startled Alex. Turning, he found Yassen leaning against the wall next to the bed.

"You need to work on your observation skills," the man said with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Observation is the best skill for a spy to have. Without it, their not worth the trouble it takes to train them."

Scowling Alex sat up straighter. The man was _so _irritating at times. _He always shows up wherever I go and even now he is going to _lecture _me!_ Alex thought with bemusement.

The man was a mystery, Alex _still _did not know how Yassen was alive. He had watched him die, the memory would never leave him. And now here he was, alive and lecturing.

The door outside opened, two guards came in. It was déjà vu to Alex, but now he was not the one being taken away. Wolf stood up. It was his turn and he knew it, the guards came toward him.

For a second Alex thought Wolf was going to try something. The man had tensed, his expression was angry yet determined.

One guard had a gun pointed at Wolf, the other grabbed the man and pushed him outside. Wolf did not look back as the cell door was shut, but the K Unit and Yassen were watching him as he was led away.

_What will they do to him? _Alex wondered. He knew Wolf, and while the whip might hurt him, it would not break him. Wolf was a leader, he was stubborn as well. Alex knew that from personal experience.

If Alex did not break under the whip, Wolf would not either. He was too proud, if a teenager could handle it; Wolf would as well.

Yassen had been watching him, "You don't know for sure what they will do to him," he said to Alex.

Alex looked at him, "No, I don't," he replied simply. Snake sighed and came over. The cloths laying on Alex's back had fallen of when he sat up. Maneuvering Alex so that he was facing Yassen with his back to Snake, the medic looked his wounds over.

"How long was I asleep?" Alex asked.

Eagle came over, "A few hours, we weren't going to wake you."

Alex nodded, "Did anybody come in?" They shook their heads. Alex's eyes drifted to the water bowl lying on the floor, the water was red with his blood.

The sight made a shiver crawl over his skin. Frowning, Fox took off his light jacket over his shirt and handed it to Snake.

The medic of the unit had finished his exam, "What's wrong with me doc?" Alex asked Snake as the man threw the jacket over his shoulders.

"Your wounds are raw, they can start bleeding again if you move to much. You need some liquids but we are being deprived of the necessities of life at the moment." Snake shot a disapproving look toward he cell door.

"Hey Cub," Fox said leaning forward. "You going to tell us how you got that?" His finger was pointing at Alex's chest. Feeling confused, Alex looked down at his chest.

The large scar was blatant on his uncovered chest. Alex felt like an idiot and the feeling showed in his cheeks as he blushed slightly.

"Oh yeah," he said with a weak chuckle. "I kinda forgot about it," Alex said in a slightly sheepish tone. Yassen looked at him with a pained expression, "You forgot…." the man said clearly unimpressed.

Alex glared, "I was half conscious, so there mister deceased."

Eagle snorted, "Mr. Deceased," he said with a laugh.

Yassen sighed slightly. He looked everything like an annoyed babysitter. "So, how _did _you come back to life?" Alex asked Yassen.

Yassen crossed his arms, "I was never dead."

Frowning, Alex raised is eyebrows. "You looked pretty dead to me."

Eagle snickered, looking away when Yassen and Alex glared at him. "Alex, I thought I was dead. While you were whisked away by MI6, I was taken to the hospital. They apparently thought you had no reason to know I was still alive," Yassen said.

Fox, Snake, and Eagle were listening. "What happened then?" Alex asked.

Yassen rubbed his eyes tiredly, "I was kept in a high security holding cell while I healed. They were discussing what to do with me and were in the process of moving me to a prison when these--scientists attacked the van they were moving me in."

His voice became sarcastic at the word scientists. Yassen may not of shone it, but he did not like the situation anymore then the rest on them.

"They didn't stand chance and I was in handcuffs. They took me and left the bodies of the guards, I think they killed a lot of them," Yassen said.

There was silence. Alex was digesting the information Yassen had told him.

Eagle straightened up, "Hey! Listen to this, we can lay on the floor and moan. Maybe they'll think we're dieing and they come in and then we attack them!"

Seeing his unit's and Yassen's bored and disbelieving expressions he sighed, "Or not."

"We need to do something. I agree with you on that Eagle, but the plan _must _work. We need information, building format, if we knew where we were then it could possibly help us escape."

Alex nodded his head, "Your right Fox, but we're still stuck in here. In a _cell, _with a locked door. We have no gadgets, no way to tell anyone that we are in here _and _to top it off, there are mad scientists after our blood!"

They stared at him. "What I mean is, how are we going to get from here, to there?" Alex asked while pointing outside the cell. Their eyes followed Alex's hand to the empty room.

"We get a spoon and dig our--"

"Shut _up, _Eagle!"

………………………………...

Many minutes later, their gloomy silence spell was broken. They had been lying around the cell waiting impatiently for something, _anything, _to distract them.

The door to the outside room was opened, in came a guard and a man in a blue overalls. _A cleaner possibly? _Alex wondered. They stood up and Alex saw that the man bringing in the tray was frightened.

He looked ill, dark circles under his eyes and a animalistic look in his intimidated eyes.

The guard opened the cell door to let the man enter. Alex watched as the man came forward warily, the guard was watching with a uncaring expression.

It was clear that the man was not own of his own. In a swift move, Yassen grabbed the man.

Swinging him around and making the tray drop to the ground, Yassen stare at the guard. His arm was held against the man's throat, the man was whimpering with his eyes shut tight.

"Open the door or he dies," Yassen said in a deadly calm voice.

Alex was not very surprised when the guard laughed. Yassen's expression did not change, but his arm tightened around the man's neck.

The guard smiled at him humorously, "You think I care about a test tube?"

Fox narrowed his eyes, "What?" he asked sharply. The air was thick with tension.

"A test tube, he's just like you except he's been here for weeks," the guard said with a shrug.

The K Unit watched him, slowly Alex looked at the man in Yassen's arms. He was a quivering mess, it was a pathetic sight.

"And pretty soon you'll be just like him," the guard said with a chuckle. "If you want to kill him go on ahead, it will just be a little earlier then the scientists had planned."

Yassen stared at the guard, his expression was coldly unemotional.

Then his arms loosened. The man fell to the floor, scrambling away from Yassen and back to the guard. Opening the door, the guard smiled at them and left.

Alex gaze traveled down, the food was littered on the floor. Bread and chicken with a few apples scattered here and there.

Yassen was still staring, his gaze was enough to kill. Nobody moved for a second, then Alex spied an apple lying at his feet.

Picking it up, Alex wiped it off. His hands were dirty but he was past caring.

Biting into the red apple, Alex watched as Yassen turned and headed to a corner. The juices flooded Alex mouth from the apple. Every taste bud was rejoicing, "Scum," Yassen bit out bitterly.

Alex's mouth orchestra was cut off, Yassen muttered swears under his breath as the K Unit watched.

It was unlike Yassen to react so--humanly. Alex had only know the man a little while, and then there was those few times he had met him on mission. _But then, we weren't on the same side then, _Alex thought.

It may be just a temporary partnership though, Alex was not sure.

Eagle wandered forward eyeing Yassen with watchful eyes. "Yummy," he said flatly staring at the food.

Alex bit another piece of his apple off, watching as Eagle squated and looked at the food. "This piece of toast only has _half_ as much dirt on it as the rest of the food," Eagle said. Waving said piece of toast around, Eagle sat down on the floor and took a small bite.

"Mmmhh, dirt." Eagle's attempts at light heartedness was met with Snake and Fox coming forward.

Bending over, they looked through what was once a clean meal. The cement floor was not dirty, but that did not mean they were looking forward to eating off it.

Snake grabbed an apple while Fox took the daring rode and lifted a chicken leg to his mouth.

He made a face, "The skin should _never _be left on when the chicken is _boiled," _he said with a grimace of disgust. Fox sat down beside Alex and preceded to pull the skin off.

Alex crinkled his nose at it and looked at his apple. _How long will it be before they feed us again? _Alex wondered. Should he go ahead and try to eat the chicken or would he be fed again soon?

_They would want to feed us regularity. Who wants unhealthy test subjects? If they're unhealthy then they can't tell how much their treatment effect us, _Alex thought bitterly.

He decided to stay away from the meat. It had been on the floor and the greasy meat definitely picked up more dirt then an apple would. Alex could not see how Fox could eat it, but he sure looked content.

_I guess if ypour hungry enough you'll eat anything, _Alex thought. His mind wandered at that thought, he remembered hearing about a group of people that had been starving. _Untill they started eating each other, _Alex thought with a shiver.

Snake saw the shiver and frowned, "Are you cold?"

Alex shook his head. "No, just thinking about cannibalism," he said with a face.

Eagle laughed hard, choking on his food as he did so. "Why--hahaaa! Why were you th-thinking of that?"

Alex barily managed not to blush. Instead he came up with a witty comeback.

"I'm wondering which one of you tastes better," Alex said seriously. Snake shook his head while Eagle continued to laugh.

"The youngest is always tender Alex," Yassen said in a mock warning. Alex laughed but had no response.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open. It made Alex jump in surprise. Even worse was when Wolf was thrown against the bars of the cell by two guards. Grunting in pain, Wolf stumbled back from the bars.

He was quickly grabbed by the guards who then opened the cell, and threw him in.

Alex only had time to gasp as Wolf was thrown into him before his arms were grabbed. "Leave him alone!" Eagle snapped and Alex felt the man's fingers prying at the hands that pulled him off the bed.

Alex only got a glimpse of Wolf's blank face staring at the wall before he was dragged out of the cell. Curses could be heard coming from the cell as Alex was pulled roughly out of the room.

**A/N: **I'm sorry about the wait folks, it's been a busy summer. I'll _try _tp update quicker next time. Just so everyone knows, this story is **NOT **slash. Thank you for the encouragement reviewers! I wanted to thank everyone but it takes up a lot of space so just know that I read every review and am grateful that you all took the time to reassure me.

**TanyaPotter, Jack of Trade, AssortedJellyBeans, digiMist, BrazeRancor, Pleiadeswolfe, Swabloo, Crystal Roads, Gold is power, Wolfmonster, **I agree, this will mainly be Alex's POV. You can keep guessing but I probably won't tell you, lol. I usually update at least one story on Wendsday, Friday and sometimes Sunday. **LocaCocoCoca, Mad Mogg, Knyghtshade, SheWeapon1, XsuicideXkittyX, ladelookslikeadude, RiGhTeO, **Lol, someones getting really into the story, (grin) Thank you. **masqueradingHEART, **If I scream my brothers still won't wake up, lol. Thank you. **Jusmine, OddlySane, Pink Erasers, ffhoupt, rid3r chick, orishggoddess, **Yes, it's bad Orish, but it's going to get worse. Sorry, I'll think about writing a happy AR story, lol. **fattoad, **Lol, I'll take that a a compliment. **Emmy-loo, **Thanks! **Rasgara, Mystery gal, TeenTitansLover1, alex-rider-girl, Meia-Noite, destinystar105, Taylor5795, vampire assassin, **Lol, I did not think of that when I was writing it, but I do know that scene. The POTC movies are great. **Mizu1411, SilentKiller1, Snowember, Sunlit-Oceans, Nyxelestia, ThreE AqUiLa, **Ah, I see now, thanks. No, I plan to come up with my own ideas. **BellaBooTwilight,MoonDrake, **What a disease! **Leobrightstar, Brit, xLzR, whateverxs2, Lady Shadow Of Time, Light of the Star Phoenix, hylian-dragoness, **(shivers along with Hylian) **Keatlin, QueenofBookworms, Independent-Chick-92, silvertrumpet26. **_Thank you all for the reviews! _


	7. Chapter Seven: Ill

The lights almost blinded him. Staying in a dimly lit room for so long had made his eyes sensitive. Now coming out of that room felt like opening his eyes for the first time in days. His eyes burned and he squinted, trying to block out the light and still see where he was going.

Alex was being led to a room and the sharp hospital smell brought back some not so fond memories, from the time when he was nine and had broken his arm falling out of a tree to the bullet wound he'd suffered just a few months ago. A piece of cloth was wrapped around his eyes. Alex's hands immediately tried to reach up and loosen it.

_Not helpless again, _he thought with more alarm than he would want to admit.

His arms were still held tight, though, and at his movement they tightened until his hands felt numb. Then, the persons hands holding him still fell away only to come back a second later and tie his hands together in front of him.

Despite his bindings, Alex could knit his fingers together. He did so, forming a fist and wishing he could hit one of these people with it. Then Alex gasped as arms picked him up almost effortlessly and dumped him onto a table. A jolt of pain from the whip marks on the back made him cry out before he bit his lip. _Keep quiet_,_ damn you, _he berated himself as one man in the room chuckled at his reaction.

The tabletop was cold on his bare skin and had him flinching and trying to sit up. Something touched his arm and he yelped as pain erupted from that area, biting his lip as the shock continued up and down his body, shoving fire into his veins, before breathing out and gasping in relief when it ended.

_Stun gun? _he wondered faintly as he tried to stop his convulsing. While he had heard of them, he had never been on the receiving end.

_Don't give them satisfaction of hearing you scream, _he told himself sternly. The pain he had felt was probably a warning. It meant move and we hurt you. Of course, they were probably going to hurt him anyway. Alex would just hope that it would be over soon. There was nothing holding him down on the table. If it were not for the stun gun and the other weapons they had, he might have been able to run away.

_I would need to see to do that, _Alex thought bitterly as he looked into darkness. The wrap around his eyes was tight. He shook his head and it stayed firmly in place. There was darkness everywhere. He tilted his head as casually as possible and tried to look for some light.

There was none.

Someone grabbed his chin and in the process stopped his head from moving. Something cold and metallic pressed into the skin of his neck and Alex froze.

Was it was the same thing that had shocked him a moment ago or a knife?

The unknown object was taken away from his skin only to be replaced by a hand. Warm, calloused fingers ran over his jugular and felt his pulse. He gulped in reflex and listened to the mutters coming from people Alex could not see.

A scratching sound told him that someone was probably writing something down.

_Most likely information about me, _Alex thought and he was proven right as a man's voice mumbled something about his pulse. The information was written down and that irritating scratching sound grated on Alex's nerves.

The pair of hands moved lower, running over his ribs and, to Alex's utter horror, tickling him in the process. A snort came from one of the people in the room at the way Alex cringed away from the hands. It was embarrassing and Alex was glad that at least he did not have to see their faces while at the same time.

Someone touched his bullet would scar murmuring something about ugly, flawed skin. Alex bit his lip and held back the urge to lash out at the unwelcome touch.

"If you want a perfect and obedient lab rat you're not going to find one here," Alex snarled. It would have been more menacing if he dared to sit up and if his voice wasn't so scratchy.

There was still a lingering pain in his arm, though. And they still might hurt him for speaking without permission. It seemed like the kind of thing the would hurt him for. There was silence for a moment then a big hand was placed right over his heart.

"Obedient is something we can make you. Flawless, though, is not needed for what we have planned for you, Mr. Rider." It was the same man talking. He recognized the man by his cold, nasal voice. The others seemed content just to watch them.

Alex snorted without humor and wished the hand away while trying to hide his extreme discomfort. "And what is that?"

There was a short silence. "Are you allergic to any medication, Rider?"

_What kind of question is _**that**_? _Alex wondered fighting the will to gape at them even though they were not visible to him.

"No matter, you will probably be sick when we're done with you, anyway. These are some medicines that have not been treated yet. We are not allowed animal testing, but since we have a large supply of humans in our grasp, why not use them?"

A few chuckles answered the cheerful man's voice and made Alex sneer. "Now, these should not kill you. They might cause you a great deal of pain…you may even wish for death, which would be interesting to watch if I were a psychologist…."

The man seemed to think about that thought from the momentary silence that followed.

"We may save the more dangerous ones for later, though. It wouldn't do to have you die so early in the testing stage. Such a waste."

Alex could not stand hearing them talk about him like that. He should not be here; he had never done anything to deserve this, had he? Alex almost felt childish as he hoped the scientists would get hurt. From anything to poking themselves with the needle to dieing slowly and painfully. That justice would serve and that they would get what they deserved.

But he knew from personal experience that the world wasn't a fair, or just, place.

A cold liquid was being rubbed over his arm. It startled Alex. A moment later, the feeling of a needle being pushed into his skin made him suck in as breath. Alex briefly worried because he had not heard anyone checking to make sure there were no air bubbles. If they really were scientists they would have checked for that, though.

"We'll give him the second shot in a moment if he has no reaction to this one," a lady said to the others.

They talked to each other in soft voices as Alex lay there waiting. He expected some sick feeling to come on him from whatever they had injected, but it never came.

Waiting was driving him crazy. Being ignored was worse and he felt worried about the shots they had given him. They were supposed to do _something _to him right?

He bit his lip before stopping and fingering the material of his pants instead.

"What did you do to Wolf?" Alex asked. His eyes widened slightly, he had not thought twice before speaking aloud. That question had been worrying him before they had brought him into the room when he was not worrying about himself. He had seen the man's stricken face just for a moment before he was pulled out of the room.

The man had been so pale and his usually straight posture was slumped and weary.

Silence made Alex clench his teeth. _Are they ignoring me or are they startled? _Alex wondered. He wished he could do more than startle if that was what was keeping them quiet.

Alex could not cause them physical harm, he still had words. And if those words were used right, they would cut deeper then any knife.

Those six words did not cut deep or even cut at all, but he still had time.

The scientists conversed with each other before speaking. Alex had heard the words, 'see how he reacts' before the nasal man started talking.

"He watched as other undertook our tests and punishments for misbehavior. He saw many die," the familiar man's voice said.

Alex felt a bit sick, then. He wondered momentarily of it was the shots finally kicking in.

They had hurt Wolf in ways Alex had not expected. All those people he had been forced to watch and to hear their screams and see them take their last breath….

No wonder the man had seemed so utterly lost.

"We were not surprised by his reaction. He was in a state of shock. I was a bit disappointed that he did not hold up longer, though…."

Alex bit back a snarl, but trembled with fury and the table on which he laid shook slightly. The weapon they had used before to shock him came back into contact with his arm, again and Alex growled as he took deep breaths to calm himself.

They must have decided that they had waited long enough, because then they repeated the injections.

"There you go, Rider. We're done with you for now," someone said.

"Don't let him walk," someone else demanded. The teen wished he had names for them. Knowing who was speaking but not having a face to match to the voice was just adding to his confusion.

The utter blackness still surrounded him. The sides of his face almost felt numb from the pressure the cloth had on his head. Alex was lifted off the table into someone's arms and then thrown over someone's strong shoulder.

He did not hesitate to bite the guard's shoulder. Alex was so _damn pissed_, and mixing it in with the helplessness and fear and confusion all added into one thing that was combined of them all.

He did not care if he made a fool of himself or satisfied them by losing it. All he wanted was to be _free. _And he wanted it so badly that he almost cried out with need.

So his teeth ground into the man's clothed shoulder viciously and Alex kicked and punched like a mad man. With a startled yell that almost burst Alex's eardrum, the man dropped him and even though it hurt, Alex did not stop struggling to stand.

Although he was still blindfolded, he could some ofthe people scattering. The scientists were cowards. There were urgent voices to his side that told him where to attack.

The hands of many made him lash out with all he had, which was not much. The sound of rustling clothing as the hand shot out was the only warning he got. It was good enough, though.

Alex kicked in that direction and felt his foot hit flesh.

A voice cried out and the person drew back. His whimpers of pain made Alex happy. He would think back later and wonder if being glad at another's pain was wrong--but these people deserved pain. Or at least punishment for their crimes against Alex and his friends. _And what about all the other people? _Alex thought amidst his other feelings. _The ones they made Wolf watch as they killed them. _

Alex knew he might never make it out alive--but he also knew that he would take down as many as he could before death. He stood and kicked sideways at someone whose fingers just brushed his arm. They grunted and Alex again tried to rip off the blindfold.

In that second he took to tug uselessly on the blindfold, someone snuck up on him. It was bound to happen. One can only fight so well blindfolded and he was getting tired as well.

Strong arms trapped Alex's and swung him around and away from everyone. Alex's flailing foot hit the wall several times. Something metal fell and hit the ground loudly.

Something kept the man from backing up as Alex kicked. He may have been stuck between the table Alex had been lying on. Alex kept kicking and his feet banged repeatedly against the wall as he tried to force the man off of him. The wall made a hollow sound when he hit it and added to Alex's current confusion.

The scientists were talking together loudly and they sounded close.

"Put that back," one said rather urgently. "They might be able to hear us up there; the project will be ruined!"

Whatever had fallen was put back in place and other arms grabbed Alex to stop him from kicking anymore.

"Tie him up or something. He's causing too much noise!" The one who had given him shots earlier was talking now. "This room doesn't have soundproof walls; let's get him out of here."

Alex was carried out rather roughly and into another room. After lying him down on a bed, and telling a guard to keep a hold on him, the scientists talked together momentarily and the teen spy stayed where he was.

It was obvious he had upset them. _Well, they did just take a long time to subdue a teenager, _Alex thought with some crazed humor._And what did they mean by 'they might be able to hear us up there'? _Alex wondered as he tried to calm down.

_They must have moved me to a sound proofed room if they were scared about me making noise. I bet it annoys the shit out of them that now I'm not doing anything, anymore, _Alex thought.

Someone was coming over to him Alex knew. He heard footsteps. No one had tied him up, like the male scientists had wanted. "What are we doing to him now, Dr. Lenor?"

_Lenor, well at least now I have a name for him, _Alex thought.

His panic attack had stopped now and left him tired and downhearted as ever. There was no answer to the woman's question. A sharp pain made Alex jump slightly as another needle was inserted in his skin. "Sir, that's not supposed to mix with the other. You could cause him--"

Whatever was going to be said was stopped as Lenor spoke sharply. "I know what I'm doing. If he dies doesn't matter."

The words were said sharply as Lenor pulled out the needle with rough movements, causing Alex to wince under the blindfold from the sting.

"Pearson wouldn't approve," one of the woman muttered but Lenor did not say anything in response.

Lenor had done something that would probably hurt Alex later and so he struck out with his leg.

It caught Lenor in the back as he turned away. The man stumbled. "Get him back in his cell now!" His anger had two guards hurrying forward to bring Alex back to his unit. They took the blindfold off as they led him out of the room, even though Alex did not hear anyone give the guards permission to do so. Well, he wasn't going to complain. The relief he felt at seeing again overran everything else.

He could still hear Lenor's voice. He was scaring all the others as he raged about anything and everything. It seemed that even the stone-hearted got angry.

A pain shot through his stomach, which surprised Alex more than hurt him. He momentarily worried, what _had_ Lenor done to him? They had said it could kill him, was it just a show or could his end actually be near?

_They want me to suffer, _Alex thought and fleeted from thoughts of death. There was no doubt that he was going to suffer, either. Another pain shot through his stomach again and Alex could practically _feel_ himself drain of color.

The guards saw his pale face and chuckled to themselves. "Is the little boy feeling sick?"

It was a chubby guard that asked his fat face currently hosting a mocking expression. Alex spat on him. A roar of rage emitted from the man as Alex tried to duck the fist.

"Stop!" the other guard yelled as he yanked Alex sideways and glared at the angry man.

"Go to Lenor after we bring him back. He's so angry he'll allow anything you ask."

Alex did not like the interested look the fat man gave the guard holding him. "Anything, Trey?" he asked as his eyes traveled back to Alex.

Trey nodded. One arm tightened around Alex's neck and the man whispered in his ear while his eyes watched the other guard.

"I'de watch myself around Gove, there. He likes bloody torture," his breath ruffled the hair around Alex's ear and the teen made no movement.

The drafty and empty corridor they were currently standing in was not the best place for him to start a fight. Only some of the more experienced people did not want him dead.

_It's like they're keeping me alive for their amusement, _Alex thought.

He realized what a moronic thought that was.

Of _course _they were keeping him alive for their amusement, and probably for others reasons he was not aware of. Maybe they wanted to see how many people he could anger? How many of them were worthy of their position?

Alex wondered if Lenor would get in trouble for losing his temper around him.

Trey ran his hand up Alex's neck and over his face making the teen flinch. The hands were clammy and harsh. Alex was willing to guess that his fingernails had not been cut in weeks by the small bleeding scratches his cheek now sported. Chuckling, Trey pushed Alex over to Gove who pulled his hands behind his back and walked him to the cell.

They untied him just outside the cell, before opening the door. Alex was shoved in the cell and he then tripped over someone's feet. He landed sprawled across Wolf's legs and unit's leader stared at him with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Blushing, Alex was pulled up by Yassen's hand.

As he brushed himself off, Alex studied Wolf and the man let him look. He was still a bit pale but looked far better then what he had when Alex was taken away earlier. Wolf stood and Alex saw his hands clenched in fists from nerves, and not anger.

_If I went through what he did, I would be nervous as well if, not worse, _Alex thought.

A burst of sympathy made Alex reach out and squeeze the man's shoulder in comfort, who froze in surprise. It was a short gesture, but it showed the compassion that Alex was feeling in that moment.

The next second, the moment was over. Alex drew back knowing, that his cheeks were flushed and dotted with blood from Trey's fingernails.

He looked at the hard floor as he turned to walk to the opposite wall. Eagle put his hand on his arm for a second and looking up; Alex saw the almost proud look the man was giving him.

It made Alex blink back wonderingly. Wolf had not responded at all. Now; Alex liked to think that the lost and disappointed look on Wolf's face was because the man had not recovered himself in time to hug him back.

The expression on Wolf's face was agreeable to that thought. And it was nice to think that the man would have done something if he had given him time. It was almost amusing the look on Wolf's face as he looked around seeming lost.

It seemed that someone had come and cleaned up the mess of food that had been on the floor. Alex was glad. It had started to smell. A pitcher of water sat next to the bed and as plate of bread and apples lay on the bed. Fox sat next to it almost possessively close as he rolled an apple in his hands repeatedly.

For the past few minutes Alex had been able to ignore the pain awing at his insides. It was irrataiting like the annoyance one felt with a fly that aggravated him but was ignorable for a while.

Or at least until the fly landed on his face. A painful sensation shot through his leg and then through his stomach and up his chest.

It made him breath once, heavily and more like a fast sigh than anything else as he tried to keep it quiet and not show pain.

It attracted the attention of his cell mates, though, and they caught his uncomfortable expression before Alex could wipe it of. Yassen frowned heavily, his eyes seemed to know more then he should and Alex looked at his feet. The clear eyes seared into him, making no movement to look away. Yassen was perfectly content watching him squirm.

Eagle was the first to speak. "What did they do to you?"

His eyes must have been looking for serious injuries, but he found none – nothing new, anyway. Alex shifted uncomfortably and he pulled his knees up, efficiently hiding his hand as he it pressed into his stomach.

"Blindfolded me and gave me a buch of shots is all," Alex said. He did not mention the pain that those very shots were causing him now. It could have been worse; at least he had not been whipped again.

_And I was not_ _forced to watch people die like Wolf was, _Alex thought. _I wonder which was worse, being in pain or watching many others in pain and then seeing them die. _

Eagle was watching him with curiosity. Alex wished he would do something else and stop looking so inquiringly at him.

Anything to take away the feeling of dread sitting in his stomach that was adding to his other emotions. He felt like he was about to get sick, but was not to the point where he had to run for the loo.

"You look kinda green, kid," Wolf said. Alex did not nod. If he did who knew what would happen. He took a deep slow breath and stood as gracefully as he could.

The K Unit and Yassen watch him with varying degrees of alarm. Alex made his way to the loo, which they had mostly left alone since they had been there. When Alex caught sight of the toilet, his stomach rolled.

He covered his mouth and lurched onto his knees. Every time he had thrown up, which was only a few times, he had had Jack there with him. Usually a bug he got from school. Now, she was not there with him. And even though he had complained when she _had _been there, secretly he appreciated her concern.

His stomach rolled and Alex barely managed to lift up the seat before he puked.

In the end he did not remember how much time he spent there in front of the toilet. Everytime he thought he was done; his stomach would disagree and make him lean back over the white bowl.

Alex spent his night in the bathroom, never trusting himself to leave lest he have to run back. At one time he fell asleep just flushing ther toilet and wrapping his arms around his now cold body. He leaned against the wall crinkling his nose at the smell and feeling more pitiful than when he had been whipped.

Yassen woke him up by accident sometime in the night by wrapping one of their few blankets around his shivering form.

Too tired to thank the man and not wanting to open his mouth, Alex pulled the blanket closer and closed his eyes again as Yassen ran a hand through his pale locks. He did not know when the man left because of the near-delirium he had fallen into.

When he woke up later it was to thrust the blanket away from him and lunge for the toilet again. A minute later he sat back and closed his eyes wearily.

Someone sat next to him and touched a wet rag to the teen's face, startling Alex. Fox's kind face watched him carefully before holding out the rag.

Alex took it gratefully and wiped away the grit from his eyes. He wanted to wash his mouth out as well but did not want to stand.

Wolf must have read his mind because he offered a plastic cup full of water, which Alex took gratefully. As he washed out his mouth again and again, Alex wondered about the cups. They had not been here before, so Alex though they must have came while he was asleep.

Perhaps someone had come to see how he was feeling and to see what consequences the shots had on him.

And at that thought, Alex shot for the toilet again while his unit sighed in the background.

**A/N: **You guys are great, thank you so much for your patience! Also, Thank you Nyxelestia for helping me torture the K Unit! I'm sure they appreciate it as well, hehe.

**BrazeRancor, freakily obsessed Yassen fan, Aquanova, Crystal Roads, **Get a sugar high more often! Lol, thank you so much Crystal! **Jusmine, SilentKiller1, MoonDrake, digiMist, Jack of Trade, **I don't mind you being picky, I need to know my flaws so IU can perfect them. Thanks! **Kayli, Urahara Fan, XsuicideXkittyX, OddlySane, Nyxelestia, AnGeL oF mAdNeSs, Vampassassin, fattoad, alex-rider-girl, Jclayton, PleiadesWolfe, suibhan, **Thank you for reviewing! **Mizu1411, SheWeapon1, **I think there was a movie where someone dug themselves out of a prison with a spoon, lol. Thank you. **hylian-dragoness, **Hyper much? Lol, thank you for your review! **BellaBooTwilight, oirshgoddess, **When Wolf is not glaring you know something is wrong, lol. Thank you for reviewing. **keatlin, Sedesapientia, secretsuperstar1234, **Lol, Yassy the assasy--oops, that wouldn't make him very happy, lol. Thanks for reviewing. **ninjawoman, NeonXSuJu, sheluby94dreamer, Jadoku Tsubasa, Wolfmonster, Gold is power, MarauderetteLily, **I'm a huge fan of Amitai's work. I don't think there is one person here that isn't, lol. I'm glad you think I'm good at writing AR, I love doing it. **Arica, Princess of Rivendell, darkxangelx-xo, Mystery gal, Siri02, **I like giddy readers, lol. Thank you for reviewing. **purple kimono, **Thank you!


	8. Chapter Eight: Lucky

Throughout the next day, Alex stayed sick. He took turns between sitting pitifully in the room with the K Unit and Yassen and running back to the loo.

Alex knew it was morning when Trey, a guard he had seen yesterday, brought them food with a cheerful 'good morning.'

Wolf recognized him, of course as the one who had brought back one of his teammates sick, and he glared hatefully at the man. This was not unusual, as Wolf glared at everybody, and almost everything, but this particular glare would make a child faint with fear.

Alex was feeling pretty much the same anger. Right now, it seemed like a terrible crime for anybody to be so happy.

He had stopped puking, having had nothing left in his stomach, but could still not stop gagging and dry heaving, stomach still clenching every time. There was no use washing out his mouth; his clothes stuck to his skin, and he went between being hot with fever to freezing, constantly.

The others had suffered, as well. They'd had taken turns staying up with Alex throughout the night to make sure he did not get worse or choke on his own vomit. It was not necessary, or so Alex thought, but the K Unit and Yassen did not seem to mind that much.

Alex was not sure if Yassen ever slept, he was always awake when Alex happened to look his way.

A few times the man had even come into the restroom, just to sit with him. Alex was still wary of the man--after all, you don't just start trusting a man you thought was dead. Especially, when that man killed your own uncle and sent you of to damnation with just a few words at his death.

Although he had tried to keep himself from, being sick in front of Yassen at first, Alex had given up. There was no way he could stop himself from being sick.

Alex looked away from the food that Trey brought them; he did not want to test his stomach yet. Eagle saw and sent him a look of sympathy.

Trey did have something for Alex that would not harm his stomach. "Here," the freckled man said sharply throwing the shirt at Alex, landing it landed on his head. Scowling, Alex dragged it off his head and pulled it on.

It was blue, plain, and a little too big for him. But cold had bit into his skin, though, for the past several hours and he was glad for the clothing. Trey left a few minutes later.

A quiet descended over the unit, Yassen and Alex. A few minutes of uncomfortable shuffling had Alex wishing he felt sick again just so he could escape. Then, four guards came in.

Alex felt nauseous again at that moment, and stumbled toward the bathroom.

_Why couldn't this have happened a few minutes ago?_ he groaned in his head. Nothing came up but the queasy feeling stayed with him.

Alex heard two voices of the familiar guards and stayed in the bathroom for a bit longer than was necessary. When he emerged, Snake, Fox, and Yassen were gone.

"They took them?" he asked in his scratchy voice. The answer was obvious, but Alex did not know what else to say. Wolf was sitting on the bed with his hands clenching the corner of the mattress. He nodded once. Eagle looked nervous, and there were worry lines on his forehead that Alex was getting used to seeing.

"I wish I knew what to expect," Eagle said, running a hand through his messy hair.

Wolf nodded in agreement. "That's the worse part--well, _one _horrible part at least. I _hate _surprises."

At any other time Alex would have laughed. Instead, he smiled just the slightest bit. Eagle, though, snorted and sat on the bed next to Wolf. "Bad childhood experience?" he asked dryly.

Wolf punched him on the shoulder hard enough to make him fall of the bed. Laughing now, Eagle sat up rubbing his arm.

"Did it involve a clown, Wolfie?" Glowering, Wolf huffed, crossed his arms, and looked away. "Does that mean yes?" Eagle asked innocently.

Wolf refused to answer, so Eagle pouted and turned immediately to Alex. Alex was on defensive in an instant knowing that the man was trying to make light of their situation, but using teasing to do that.

"What about you, Cub? Any frightening clowns in your past?" Alex rolled his eyes at the question.

"No Eagle," he said flatly.

Frowning, Eagle crossed his arms and huffed childishly. "You're no fun."

Alex did not respond, making Eagle narrow his eyes in a suspicious manner.

"Fine, if you're not going to play along you can tell me why you changed the subject when we were talking about your bullet wound."

Alex winced and saw Wolf sitting up from the corner of his eye. There was no way he could change the subject now. The K Unit had already been led away from there original question once; Alex didn't think they would do it again.

"I got involved with the wrong people," Alex said shortly. Wolf made a scoffing sound.

"Explain." Wolf's harsh voice had Eagle watching him warily and Alex biting his lip in annoyance.

"It's a long story--," Alex said letting his annoyance show. He _hated _being the center of attention, even if there were only two others in the room.

"Well, look at that! We're stuck in a cell room, where we a regularly experimented on, and the end of it is nowhere in sight! I think we have all the time in the world, Cub! Now explain before I have to _wring_ the answer out of you!" Wolf's voice got louder as he raged until finally he was standing and glaring.

There was an amazed silence. Alex and Eagle stared at Wolf, who was panting until finally, Eagle spoke.

"Who pissed in your coffee?"

Alex's eyes widened at Eagle's nerve, but he could not help but muffle a snort. Wolf blinked and then sighed. Sitting back down, Wolf took a deep breath, and then amazingly enough; he seemed to try to hold back laughter.

Eagle was watching this all with amusement.

"So, before Wolf has a conniption, you going to tell us who shot you?" Eagle asked Alex and Wolf immediately stopped his halfhearted chuckles.

"That _is _a bullet wound?" Wolf asked, looking like he did not want to hear the answer.

"Yeah, it is. I got it a few months ago," Alex said calmly. "Do you want me to start at the beginning? If I don't I'm afraid it won't make much sense."

They both nodded and Alex took a deep breath before beginning.

"Er--I had a suspicion that something was not quite right with this rich guy Damien Cray--"

"Wait!" Eagle interrupted with a gawking expression, and his hands held up. "You mean that rich singer?"

Alex nodded, and Eagle shook his head. Wolf was looking confused. "Who?"

"They guy who sang, _Lend A Hand_," Eagle told Wolf with a 'Duh' expression on his face.

Wolf made a face. "Sang _what_?"

Rolling his eyes, Eagle turned back to Alex. "I know who you're talking about, continue please."

"Well, since you said please," Alex replied with a sarcastic smile. "I--"

"How long had you been involved with MI6 when this happened?" Wolf interrupted.

With a shrug, Alex tried to think of the answer. "It was only a few months, maybe four or five?"

Wolf frowned severely. "And how many missions had you been on?"

"Just three," Alex replied. "Wait until I get done telling the other story first, and then you can ask questions."

Nodding reluctantly, Wolf sat back on the bed.

"Anyway, I'm going to start over. I don't think I was going in the right direction the first time," Alex said with a sheepish look.

Nodding a bit too fast to be patient, Eagle smiled tightly. "Take your time, but _do _tell us. We want to know."

"I was on a vacation with a friend, but I kept seeing Yassen everywhere--um, he always showed up where there was going to be trouble," Alex said with a little laugh. "On a lot of my missions I saw at least one glimpse of him."

Eagle was frowning now. _Must come from being around Wolf so long, _Alex thought.

"He never hurt you, did he?" Eagle asked slowly.

Wolf clenched his fists. "I've only not killed him yet because he hasn't tried anything. If you say he's hurt you--"

Alex chuckled. "No, he's okay. Well, except for the assassin thing, that is," he started laughing again.

Wolf and Eagle were staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

Alex blew out a breath and looked away for a second. "He is. I know you might not like him and sure, he might kill you in your sleep, but he won't touch me."

Eagle snorted. "That's _real _assuring, Cub, thanks for that."

"I'm joking. Just don't make him mad. He knew my dad well, they…worked together," Alex said trying to sound sure of himself.

Wolf caught the pause between his words though. "Doing what?"

Pausing again long enough to make Wolf growled, Alex though of his next words. "My dad worked undercover for MI6, a double spy pretending to be working with Scorpia."

Wolf jumped a bit. "_Scorpia! He _works for _them?" _

Alex jumped up trying to calm the man before he did something stupid. "No, no, no! He _did _work for Scorpia at some time but now they probably think he's dead. So he can't work for them anymore."

Wolf did not seem any calmer. "He's worked for them, Cub. They train killers. Even if we do get out he'd probably sell us to them!"

"They trained me and I haven't killed you yet, and _trust me_, I've been tempted," Alex shot back.

He realized it was the wrong thing to say as Wolf and Eagle both started.

"_What?_"

"Bloody hell Wolf, _sit down, _it's not like that--you haven't even listened to the reasons why," Alex said moving away from the glaring man.

With another huff, Wolf sat down. "Explain, kid, and be quick about it," Wolf said.

"I thought Yassen was dead because I was there when he 'died,'" Alex said using his fingers as air quotes. "Yassen thought that my dad really was working for Scorpia and did not know he was actually with MI6. With that misunderstanding, he told me to go to Veince as he was dying."

"And you did what?" Eagle asked.

"I...went to Veince," Alex said with a rueful expression.

Wolf was scowling. "Why the _hell _did you do that?"

"He said I'de found my destiney--" Alex tried to defend himself.

"You believed that shit?" Wolf asked with a disappointed expression.

Alex threw his hands in the air and stood from where he had been sitting. "It wasn't shit then, Wolf; it was a dying man's last words--"

"A dying _assassin_," Wolf said.

With a scream of exasperation, Alex turned on Wolf. "Would you _stop _doing that? You're an absolute arse, Wolf, now _shut up_," Alex said angrily. Eagle started clapping and Alex sent him a warning glare.

Refusing to be dissuaded, Eagle stood. "Well said old chap--"

"You shut up, too," Alex said.

Eagle did so with a smile, and Alex continued with his tale.

"Now, I went to Vience when the opportunity came up and found Scorpia, got caught by them, almost drowned and got eaten by a big cat and _then _ended up getting trained by them."

Alex took a breath and sat back down watching Wolf warily. The man had seemed to be a little shocked at being yelled at by a teenager but was recovering.

"I was told to kill Mrs. Jones as an assignment--I almost did it, but then couldn't bring myself to shoot her. The bullet missed and slammed into a plate of bulletproof glass I had not noticed anyway. I was taken into custody and, well, things worked out after that."

Eagle raised his hand like a school kid with an amused expression on his face. With a frown to show, he did not think it was so funny, Alex pointed at Eagle's hand.

Now that he had permission to spreak, Eagle sat a little straighter. "You tried to shoot Mrs. Jones? How can you say things worked out! Surely she's not that hated there?"

Alex shook his head. "No, we talked and--came to an understanding I think."

"Hmm," Eagle seemed disappointed that there were no more fights to speak about.

"Scorpia wanted payback for me--I forgot I didn't tell you. After the thing with Mrs. Jones I went back to Scorpia and ended up killing one of their main people, Julia Rothman, along with their top assassin, Nile, and destroying one of their crazy plans – a major operation. So they hired someone to shoot me and that's where the scar came from," Alex said with finality.

"I saw it…and it looked extremely close to your heart," Eagle said.

"It was," Alex said. "The docters said I wouldn't have survived if I was an adult. It went under my shoulder."

Wolf was shaking his head in amazement. "I don't know if you're lucky for surviving that or not Cub," he said softly. Alex looked to see Wolf gazing around the cell with a sad expression on his face.

**A/N: **I wanted to update on Wednesday but it got lost in everything else, sorry. Glad everyone is still with me. Your support is great, you guys are fantastic!

**Urahara Fan, **Lol, yeah, sorry about the suspense thing. I can't help it. **alex-rider-girl, ****Arica, Princess of Rivendell, **Thank you, and no, I don't think it's twisted, lol. I agree, even in the books I thought Yassen liked Alex or at least had a healthy interest in him. **Jusmine, **Yep, I'm a sadistic weirdo. How did you ever find out? I thought I had that body hidden well in the closet….**Nyxelestia, AlekandryaGregonvitch, **Lol, I love Supernatural, go Sam and Dean! (Hope we are talking about the same one, lol). **Siri02, **Scorpia wanted to punish Alex, found some info about the K Unit and decided, 'What a better way to get back at our little troublemaker, then to have him tortured by these nuts _with _the people who hate him along for the ride?' I won't tell you _how _they got the information about the K Unit, but they knew Yassen was alive as well and threw him into the mix. They obviously plan on them all dieing together. Hope that explained it! (Grin) **whatever95, **In the next chapter, thank you for reading and reviewing! **BrazeRancor, **No slash. Probably couldn't write it if I tried, lol. **Taylor5795, **Tried the blue Mountain Dew yet? It's _good_! **MoonDrake, **I'm a torturer to all, (grin). **CMT1992, ThReE AqUiLa, PleiadesWolfe, **Can not answer the last question, (grin). Thank you for reviewing. **JClayton, **Hmm, this is like the medical experiments. Thanks for that! **vampassassin, **I'm not gonna answer, lalalalala! Thank you for reviewing, forgive my childishness, Eagle is rubbing off on me. **Wolfmonster,** Puppy dog eyes do work on me, lol! **hurrybee, **They're great questions, too bad I can not answer, lol. Thank you for reviewing! **freakily obsessed Yassen fan, **Thank you, I'm a softy, lol. **Mizu1411, **(Shiver) You sure _you _should not be writing this story? Lol, great review! **SilentKiller1, **Me to, good I don't get sick a lot. **Kitty Kash, **(Is indignant) I didn't torture Wolf, the scientists did! (Tries not to look guilty.) **SheWeapon1, **Me as well, being sick sucks, thank you for reviewing! **silvertrumpet26, **Thecurse of the loo. (Shiver). **sheluby94dreamer, RiGhTeo, MarauderetteLily, **I can't play favorites in the torture game. Yassen must suffer as well, (wince). **Drayconette, **Yes, I should have noted that in the story. Thanks! **BellaBooTwilight, Hylian-dragoness, **My book on torture? Lol, yeah, the public will _love _that, I'm sure. Flying, fox ninja's, gotcha. **oirishgoddess, **I know very 'ick', glad you are still reading! And I enjoyed your review! **PosionLikeScorpia, **Ahh! You named your penname after me! (Snicker) To tell you the truth, I don't know how big it will be. If I had to guess I'd say around twelve. Kinda short story, but the torture can only go on so long before they, A. die or B. escape. **Crystal Roads, **They _are _being tortured, you can't expect sunshine and daisies. (Although I like writing happy stories more, lol) Humor rocks! **swabloo, **Thanks, I've had practice, (wink). **Gold is power, keatlin, **(Frown) I don't know, sorry. I have had problems as well but not recently. Thank you for reviewing! **secretsuperstar1234, **(Evil laugh) **XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, Jack of Trade, **Thank you my dear, I'm especially glad you found no mistakes this time. Although when you do find them, I'm glad you point them out, (smile). **Flame of the Dark Phoenix, **No dear, it's feel not feal, (grin). And I feel bad for Wolf as well. **OddlySane, **Puking does not count as dieing, (although he probably would not agree). When he barfs up a lung, _then_ you can worry. **karmine, **Thanks! **suibhan, **(Is torn between posting review on every wall or being the mature almost adult). Thank you! I'll have to watch myself after that review. My head might get humongous without me noticing, lol.


	9. Chapter Nine: Coward

Trey came back later. Alex glared; he had been so close to falling asleep. The man brought food with him. It was on a platter, and he was studying Alex as he opened the door carefully, and pushed the plate into the cell.

"The heads want to know if you're still getting sick," Trey said. Alex stared at him, not moving. Raising one eyebrow, the guard turned to Wolf and Eagle. "One of you going to tell me?"

Wolf made a rude gesture, and Eagle smirked. Frowning, Trey left the room.

Now that he was gone, Alex got up, wincing at the pains in his back, and made his way to the pathetic-looking platter. "You better?" Eagle asked as he came over to.

Alex shrugged. Looking at the food, some tangerines, apples, bread and fried chicken--did nothing to his stomach. He wondered if he should test it.

His stomach rumbled silently. Sighing, Alex grabbed one of everything and sat on the bed.

Wolf grabbed a tangerine and retreated to the wall. "When do you think they'll bring them back?" Eagle asked staring at the floor.

"When they think they've gotten through," Wolf grunted. He moodily threw an orange peel at the opposite wall. Alex guessed he was probably remembering his own torture.

_What will the do to Snake, Fox_,_and Yassen? _Alex pushed his food away. With that thought, mental pictures of blood and gore had came to mind. He hunger diminished quickly.

He could not be sure that whatever the scientists had been testing on him had worn off. Though Alex was no longer queasy, his stomach hurt. But that could have been from throwing up so many times.

The toilet had quickly become his best friend.

Now, he felt good, considering everything. If he could keep his thoughts away from the hell the others must be going through right now….

"There's half a worm in my apple!" Eagle suddenly exclaimed, making Alex and Wolf both jump.

"What?" Wolf asked grumpily. Then, he smiled, it was a wicked grin. "Why only half a worm?"

Eagle looked slightly green. "I just swallowed the other half, that's why," he muttered.

Alex winced, and then could not help but laugh a little. Eagle shot him a betrayed look, and then headed for the bathroom.

"Where you going?" Wolf asked between chuckles.

"I'm going to stick my finger down my throat," they heard Eagle say from the smaller room.

"Gross…" Alex shook his head. Minutes later Eagle came back out of the bathroom despite there having been no sounds of retching.

"I decided there was no reason to taste it twice," he said. Wolf laughed, and Eagle went for his apple again, looking it over warily.

"Let me translate that: 'I'm too chicken to purposely make myself puke,'" Alex said jokingly. Eagle threw the rest of his apple at Alex.

The teen did not spot it in time and got hit. "Oh," he moaned theatrically lifting a hand to his head. "I feel all light headed." Alex fell onto his back on the bed.

"I see the _light_! I'm coming home, Grandad!" Alex exclaimed dramatically with one hand reaching toward the ceiling.

Alex let his arm drop, closed his eyes, and after a pause, stuck his tongue out. Eagle was laughing; Wolf was as well, Alex discovered. He couldn't remember hearing the man laugh that way. A full out boom of mirth.

They got a hold of themselves quickly. "You're one weird kid," Wolf muttered.

Alex could hear nothing mean in Wolf's tone, he took no offense. "You're one to talk… Wolfie," he said with a snort.

Eagle was muttering, "I'm coming home, Grandad," while shaking his head and chuckling.

Alex frowned, _Maybe the scientists did something to Eagle's brain as well,_ he thought with a hidden grin.

After a moment, Alex reached over, grabbed his chicken and started to pull the fried skin off. "How can you _not _like the skin?" Wolf asked.

Alex rolled his eyes. He was going to respond when the door outside the cell opened.

They all stood up expecting to see Fox, Yassen, and Snake. Their hopes proved empty when six to nine men dressed in black came through the door. Alex noticed Jerry, Trey, and a couple of scientists among the others.

Alex stepped away from the door. Were they taking him for another round of torture? Dread made him feel sick, and he could feel himself pale as they hurriedly unlocked the cell door.

"Quickly, hurry up damn it!" Jerry said in a hissing voice to the frightened looking guards fumbling with the lock. "We need all the doors locked--"

"Can't we just leave them here? I want to get away; who cares what happens to them?" a younger looking guard asked. They unlocked the cell door and grabbed Alex, Wolf, and Eagle with limited struggling.

"They'll make too much noise you, idiot. Then we'll be ruined. Now, shut up and help," Jerry snapped.

He had one of Alex's arms in a vice-like grip. "And watch out for this one."

Roughly, Alex was pushed out of the cell, then the room. He only glimpsed the glum-looking hall before a piece of cloth startled him by covering his eyes. Alex jumped slightly, but he was pushed down the hall.

It was a few feet later that Alex suffered at the guards hands. He fell this time. Jerry's voice came from behind him. "Pick him up, it will be faster."

To Alex's dismay, he was picked up and thrown over the shoulder of a muscled guard. His stomach flipped and Alex clenched his teeth. If he had to puke, he hoped it would be on this man. Wearily, Alex closed his eyes.

They seemed to be going down. There was no stairs; the floor just seemed to be leaning slightly. Alex gripped the man's jacket, not wanting to fall. It was also getting colder. The shirt he had been given was so cold it felt slightly wet against his skin.

_Why does this place not have heat? The temperature will kill us faster than the scientists will,_ Alex thought.

He decided to put his thoughts into words. "You toerags won't get to kill us down here. We'll freeze before you get to try anything!" Alex exclaimed.

The one carrying him slapped him on his leg. "Shut it, you," he snarled.

Alex wished they could see him roll his eyes. "Aren't we there _yet_?"

A couple of people sighed in annoyance and frustration. Alex smirked, he just knew Eagle would be smiling to.

"Leave them in here," Jerry said breathlessly a few minutes later. Alex had the feeling he was gesturing, but he could not look to make sure.

Alex was feeling like a bag of potatoes. He pounded once on his carrier's back. "Let me down, you bastard," he said grumpily. His ribs hurt from the continuous bouncing he had suffered over the guard's shoulder.

The guard grunted and hefted him off his shoulders--just to drop him on the ground. Alex couldn't help the yelp that escaped his lips.

From a few feet behind him, Alex heard Wolf snort with laughter.

Alex was pulled back up by his arms. The sound of something heavy scraping across the floor was not reassuring. "That don't sound good, Michael," Jerry's voice growled.

"They're test subjects," the guard named Michael snapped back. "I don't care how the room looks; we need to get ourselves away. They can die for all I care."

Alex was more or less thrown into the room after his blindfold slipped down his face, to around his nose. He landed on his side and rolled over--just in time for Snake to land on his stomach.

"Ugh!" Alex grunted in pain and surprise, shutting his eyes against the pain.

Snake rolled off him, and Alex heard him feeling around as he sat up. His hand found Alex's arm, and Snake patted it with a muttered, "Sorry, Cub."

Opening his eyes, he saw Wolf land down beside them; Fox and Eagle were tossed in a second later.

"Come here! They can take them off themselves," Jerry was snapping at someone. Alex heard retreating footsteps, and then the door was shut.

He heard the men's fast footsteps fade away, outside.

"How rude!" Eagle said. Alex struggled to get the cloth off his neck. Scowling, he threw it across the small room.

The new room was smaller than their cell. And in worse shape, Alex noticed with a grimace.

"Certainly not a five star hotel," Wolf noted. He sounded tired and grim.

The walls were wet. Cracks ran through the foundation. Bits of the wall lay on the dirty, cold ground.

Alex sighed and looked toward the rest of them. Yassen had not spoken yet. The teen was startled to see the assassin leaning on the wall with one arm while the other was pressed against his forehead.

With the blood stains covering his clothes, and the position Yassen was standing in, Alex thought he looked radically different. The cool and collected presence that seemed to demand respect--or at least told you to be on guard--was cracked.

Alex couldn't go as far, as to think it was broken. Years of killing, learning how to become a masterful assassin, had drilled some things into Yassen. Alex realized he was still staring at the man and blinked in surprise.

He hoped no one had noticed his wandering. Wolf was talking in low tones to Snake, while he tried to look at the man's arm.

There was barely and light in the room. One bulb hung from the ceiling. It let out a yellowish light, making Alex think of people smoking and playing pool.

"It's dislocated, Wolf. Just--ow! Leave it alone!" Snake jerked out of Wolf's hold and Wolf rolled his eyes.

"Don't be such a girl--" Wolf started to say.

"I take offense to that, mister," Eagle said in a high, girlish tone.

"Shut up," Fox moaned. He was holding his head. "They banged my head against the wall when I was _just _trying to make friendly conversation."

Eagle came over and patted Fox on the head lightly. "It could have been worse, like maybe opera music--"

"Opera's not that bad," Yassen said. "It just depends on how artistic and well-bred the listeners are."

"Did I mention how much I love opera?" Eagle said with a fake enthusiastic expression.

"Ow! Oh f--!" Snake's dialogue was cut off as he bit his lip and glared at his now-fixed arm. Wolf grinned from beside the man and dodged Snake's foot which tried to kick him.

"You should be thanking me; I fixed your arm," Wolf said smugly.

"I hate you," Snake muttered with a partially fake pout.

Wolf didn't bother replying but sat down just a bit away from Alex. Yassen sat near him, and Wolf looked at the man suspiciously. Alex sighed at the while situation and sat in the middle of the two.

He noticed, with revulsion and surprise, that Yassen had blood dripping from under his long sleeve to the ground from his arm.

Alex muttered an obscenity under his breath and gently but firmly gripped the man's arm. Yassen started a bit and Alex bit his lip when he saw the pain on the man's face. He loosened his grip but did not let go.

"What did they do this time?" Taking a steady breath, Alex pulled up the sleeve noticing the other's eyes were focused on them.

The skin was shredded, deep cuts close together. Blood had the entire limb dyed red, and Alex flinched in horror.

Alex dropped Yassen's arm, It hung in midair before the owner of the limb let it drop slowly.

"Sorry, it--there's just so much blood!" Alex exclaimed.

He carefully picked up Yassen's arm again. Being careful, this time, he examined the cuts running up and down the bloodied arm.

"How many more?"Alex asked. He was proud of his tone; it expressed his anger, but was not shaky.

"My body is littered with them," Yassen said, pulling the arm out of Alex's now red hands.

"I'm sorry that there's nothing I can do," Alex said, with a shrug. He stared at his hands, covered with blood, before wiping them on his pants.

"I am fine," Yassen said. "Wounds will heal."

Eagle looked at the shut and locked door with a angry expression. "They used you as a knife holder, a pincushion, you're full of holes--"

Yassen looked slightly amused. "I was there."

"You're not angry." It was a statement from Wolf.

Pulling his sleeve down, Yassen took a while to speak, and when he did he spoke calmly. "Of course I am mad. I would have to be a lunatic not to be mad. I want to kill the people that did this to me and then hunt down anyone else involved. I want to hang them with their own intestines, feed their bodies to the others and then--"

"Just when I start to think you might _not _be an utterly mad assassin you say something like that!" Snake exclaimed. Eagle was nodding furiously.

"Less words, man. Ugh! 'I want to kill them all' would have been plenty!" Eagle buried his head in his knees and covered his ears.

"I agree, the mental images are driving my headache," Fox said in a whisper. "My brain is going to fall out my ears," he moaned.

"I'm thirsty," Alex stated. For several moments, no body replied. There was complete silence…then someone's stomach rumbled.

Eagle snickered. Fox waved his hand limply. "Guilty. Can you believe I'm still hungry after that gory speech?"

Snake nodded. "Do I want to know where those imaginative ideas came from, Gregorovich?"

"Probably not." Yassen said, with a slight, wry smile.

Alex shifted uncomfortable. The small rocks were making indentions on his palms. He placed his hands in his lap.

"What do you think was going on? Why'd they move us?" Alex asked. His voice was quiet, it seemed unnaturally loud in the small, underground room though.

Snake shook his head and shrugged with his unhurt arm.

"It sounded like they were preparing for something," Eagle said. Fox nodded and then winced as the action most likely jarred his head.

"I think we've been moved farther into wherever we are," Alex said. "It's like their trying to hide us or something."

Wolf frowned in thought. "From who?"

Alex didn't have answer for that. "Maybe we're are closer to society than we think?" Eagle asked looking around at them all.

Yassen shook his head. "They would have to be stupid, would they not?" he muttered. "Think of the dangers."

"Why'd they want us quiet?" Eagle asked.

"Maybe they're having visitors and didn't want us disrupting," Fox suggested dryly.

Alex sighed and rubbed his suddenly dry and tired eyes. "It's freezing here," he grumbled curling into a ball and leaning against the wall.

"Room service sure does suck," Eagle said. Wolf grunted a sound of agreement, his eyes were closed as well Alex noticed.

As Alex watched, though, Wolf's eyes flickered open to glance at Yassen. Alex grinned sleepily.

"I say we make a lot of noise. Just piss them off," Eagle grinned, stood and preceded to bang on the door with his fist.

Wolf growled in displeasure.

"I'm going to use Gregorovich's torture methods, Eagle, if you don't stop," Fox said. Eagle rolled his eyes.

"Friends don't hang up their friends by their intestines, Foxy boy, didn't you read that 'How to Get Friends' handbook? It's rule 147," he said with a serious expression.

"You're talking but all I'm hearing is blah blah blah. Now shut up and sit down," Fox said.

Eagle sat with a sigh and there was silence. Wolf was asleep now, Alex noted. His own eyes were droopy, his surroundings getting hazy.

"Did you call me _Foxy boy_?"

………………………………...

They were moved back to their old cell the next day. Unfortunately, they were blindfolded again so Alex could not see his suroundings.

But maybe not being able to see was for the best, as they rounded a corner. Alex slipped in something, and the guard holding him, Frank or something, could not care less and let him fall.

The liquid touched his lips even as he tried to stand.

It tasted familier, but it was cold. Cold blood. Alex felt suddenly sick as Jerry spoke.

"Who killed a test subject and left him in the corridor?" his voice was exasperated and only slightly angry, as Alex stood up completely.

Alex stumbled back from what he knew was blood. He could not see it but he imagined his arms covered in red, and a dead, wide-eyed man lying in front of him.

His mouth was salty and it watered warningly. The next second Alex was puking up the nastiest stuff he had ever tasted.

Calls of alarm and a few laughs made him feel worse. "Shut the hell up and get him back to his cell." Alex did not recognize the voice.

He did, however, know who's hands was pulling him up. He shook himself out of the guards hold. It was more unwelcome, now, than ever before.

Someone was dead, someone had _killed_ this person and then just _left _him here. Alex felt sick again but had nothing in his stomach already. He did not want to start dry heaving eithier.

"Cub?" Fox's voice came near his shoulder. Alex jerked in surprise. He realized his breathing was iregular and that some of the scientists were shouting at the guards.

"He was causing trouble--we had to kill him!" One guard shouted his defense. Alex put his hands up to the blindfold, he wanted to be able to see. Never mind the dead man.

Cruel hands pushed his own away from his eyes and pushed him down the corridor by kneeing him in the arse.

"Get going or you're going to get the same treatment as that guy back there," his guard muttered in his ear.

Alex shook with repressed emotion. The guard laughed softly.

When they reached their cell, they were put in there with more care then last time.

Alex wondered if it was because they were running out of test subjects. The thought was not something he wanted to dwell on.

They left them after removing the blindfolds. "Wouldn't want you to try and have an easier death or something," Michael said with a twisted grin. Alex noticed that Michael was young looking, as well. Maybe eighteen or twenty.

"I'm no coward," Alex said stiffly. Michael blinked in surprise.

"If they haven't gotten to you yet, they will within time. Soon, suicide won't seem so cowardly." With those words, Michael turned and left the cell.

Alex wiped his mouth on his sleeve trying not to notice his blood splattered hands. He headed for the bed, ignoring everyone in the room.

Alex paused. His plan was to land on the bed and sleep until this nightmate was over. But--something made him pause.

He cursed his good upbringing and the manners Jack had drilled into him.

"Yassen, you want the bed?" he asked quietly. Alex wished he could take the weariness out of his tone. It would just make him look weak or possibly make Yassen or the others think he was acting.

He could not just take the bed when Yassen, who was the most injured of them all, was standing. No matter how exhausted he felt.

Fortunately for Alex, Yassen shook his head. "I have a feeling they'll bring some water. I need to wash these before they get infected and I have to cut my arm off or something equally unpleasant."

Alex nodded and stepped forward toward the bed again. "Does anyone--?" Eagle laughed. Snake, smiled lightly. "Go ahead Cub, we all know you're just itching to sleep in a bed. No matter how uncomfortable it is."

Alex could not get himself to smile. He was just too tired, tired of it all. They seemed to understand, though. He was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Eagerly, but with lazy limbs, Alex crawled into the bed. Through his sleep fogged mind he heard someone bring water into the cell. Eagle asked Yassen if he was a seer, but Alex did not hear the reply.

His throat ached with thirst--but he could not get up. It was just physically impossible. There was _no way _he could move now. Even though he could only barely hear the others talking, he did hear what the water bringer had to say.

"Dr. Lenor will be ready to see you in a few hours, Rider," it was Michael. Alex's hand clenched his shirt but he made no further sign of hearing the man.

Wolf, however was growling at the man to get out. Michael left with a chuckle.

It took a long time for Alex to fall sleep.

**A/N: **Sorry for making you guys wait, I was fueled by a review to get the chapter complete, and I completed it at 2:30 A.M. Since CiaM has been completed I'll spend more time with this story. What do you think about me changing the summary? Got any suggestions and should one of the genres be horror?

**Jusmine, **I know and I'm sorry. I was going to update last week but something stopped me. Thank you for the feedback! **Zoeyua, **Being like a child is what adds to his charm, or annoyance level, lol. **plaiadeswolfe, **Thank you for the feedback. **Drayconette, **You mean Gove? Whistles innocently. **AnGeL oF mAdNeSs, Siri02, **You're welcome and I'm glad you liked it. **vampassassin, **Yes, it makes sense, lol, Thank you for the feedback! **alex-rider-girl, Athania, **lol, thank you for pointing that out! **BrazeRancor, **I have to find him a cool name first, (grin). **Crystal Roads, nebulalightspeed, secretsuperstar1234, MarauderetteLily, Mizu1411, shadowcullen, Ancient and Forever, **Thank you, I'll think about it. **whatever95, JaBoyYa, karmine, hylian-dragoness, **I saw that, not sure if it's true but it would be cool if it was, lol. Thank you. **sheluby94dreamer, oirishgoddess, **You are welcome, hehe. I'll try to quicken up the updates. **fattoad, **Lol, thank you! **SilentKiller1, silvertrumpet26, MidnightsRose, BellaBooTwilight, threeaquila, **No, Wolf just meant that maybe Alex dieing from the bullet wound could have been better then to go through all that torture and _then _die. **Dragoness of the Silver Flame, Taylor5795, **It sounds like you've been drinking a lot of it, lol! Yes, I've tried them all, the light blue is my favorite. **Arica, Princess of Rivendell, **That would be weird, imagine poor Cub, lol. **Za Webmaster Authoress, **Wow, thank you so much for the positive feedback! **SheWeapon1, **Thank you! **XsuicideXkittyX, freakily obsessed Yassen fan, MoonDrake, **Oh, no! Not a cockatiel, (runs away). My grandmother has two of those, they whistle the Andy Griffin theme song, Lol. **Siobhan, **The 'nice' chapters are sometimes more fun to write as well. Glad you liked it! **OddlySane, Bradhadairfire starter, keatlin, **No, I'm not planning on the drugs used on Alex to be a big part of the story. Thank you! **Anne Phoenix, **Nice to see a new reader, thanks for reviewing! **Warrior Priestess, darkxangelv-xo, **That would be amazing, I think Yassen could make a good father figure--if he puts his assassin career behind him of course, lol. **white.black.truth.lies, **Thank you, I wish I had come across it sooner as well. **Drenagon, **Sometimes nit picking is good, lol. Thank you for pointing that out, I obviously never noticed that. I'll change it. **enchanted nightingale, Blue Rider, AnimeAliss, **(Grins) thank you, that's what I was aiming for. **angiesmile, **I hope I don't disappoint with those twists and turns, I'm really glad you're enjoying it. Thank you for the feedback! **ChristineDrewFan, **(Wince) I wanted to update last week, didn't happen obviously but I'll try to speed them up. Thank you! **UrbanWulfeh, **You had me smiling with your review. I'm glad you liked it, evil scientists and all. **pony girl-loves-McQueen. **


	10. Chapter Ten: Inspired Nightmares

_They were finally going to kill him. He should have known it would happen soon. You could only push a mad scientist patience. And Alex had tested that patience to its end. He was going to die. _

_Alex felt disappointment, the feeling weighed heavy on him. _

_He didn't want to die so young. There were things he had not done yet. No immediate longings came to mind, but he was sure that he could find some quickly if they would only let him live. He wanted to see Jack again. There, he had already came up with one--but it still remained the same. _

_Living wasn't an option._

_Everyone was dying. He had to stick to the un-proclaimed rules and die as well. Or be killed. Dying sounded natural, but he was going to be killed, murdered. _

_The air reeked with the smell of death and innocent blood. Alex didn't know how they were going to do it, or how long they would draw it out. However, he knew that today he was going to die. _

Alex awoke with a gasp.

He was shivering. Taking a deep, calming breath, he tried to stop the shaking. He was still lying in that uncomfortable bed and the lights outside the cell were on, but inside the cell, it was mostly dark.

He sat up slowly. The bed creaked loudly, and Alex hoped he hadn't woken anybody up with the noise from the bed, or the sounds of him gasping from the nightmare.

Wolf was still asleep, leaning against the wall in the same place Alex had seen him last. Fox was asleep as well, lying on the floor with one arm cradling his head.

Eagle and Snake were still awake and glancing at him while talking in low voices. Alex was glad they did not talk to him. They sat on each side of a bowl of water and a pitcher. There was a bloodied washcloth sitting not so far away. Noticing that, Alex immediately looked for Yassen.

The man had said he was going to clean his wounds before sleeping. Alex saw the man, then, he was propped up by the end of the bed, his chin touching his chest and taking slow, even breaths.

Not wanting to wake Yassen up, or anyone else for that matter, Alex lay back down. He had already decided that it was useless to try and go back to sleep. It was likely that he would have another nightmare.

This place inspired nightmares.

Although this nightmare had been the first one Alex had had while here, he was sure that there was more to come. How could there not be? Daily torture, people lying dead in the corridor….Alex shivered at the memory and goose bumps rose on his skin.

He rolled over to his side wrapping his arms around himself. How much longer can this go on? Surely, it had to stop soon? All he wanted was to go back home. I won't even complain about being forced to spy, Alex thought. Well--not much, he couldn't help adding.

Wolf was muttering in his sleep. Alex turned his head to see. Eagle snickered and said something to Snake. Snake shook his head but he was smiling. Alex hoped that Eagle didn't try anything on Wolf while the man was asleep.

He might try to beat Eagle to death with a chicken bone, Alex thought as he glimpsed one lying near the water container.

Now that he thought about it, there was trash piling up here and there. Apple cores, bones, and citrus peeling lay around everywhere. The teen hoped the cell did not become infested with rodents or bugs. Just another highlight to their luxurious stay, here.

Then, the cell door opened. At the grating sound, Wolf jumped and awoke. Trey came in. Alex wondered if it was just his imagination or if the man seemed to look immediately at him. "Time for some fun, Rider," Trey said. Apparently, it wasn't his imagination.

Alex closed his eyes. He had not heard Yassen move or make any noise. It was the man's silence that told him he was awake.

Michael's voice told him to come near the cell door or they were going to have to come in after him. Alex didn't move. They could come and get him; no way was he going to _go _to the people torturing him.

Trey sighed falsely. "Fine, Rider. Just know that your making it worse for yourself. We give behavior reports to the higher ups. I'm afraid this attitude isn't what they'll want to hear."

They opened the door. Michael brought out a simple shotgun and another man coming in behind him. This man had a weird-looking weapon. Alex sat up, then stood. He wondered if they would try to threaten him to get him out. It didn't seem likely; they would probably just throw him over there shoulder if he tried to stay.

The unnamed guard aimed his gun at Eagle and fired. Surprise made Alex gasp; no blood appeared in Eagle's arm, though. The man yelled in alarm and was now staring in horror at the small dart in his skin.

Trey and Michael grabbed Alex and bullied him out the door before the others had stopped looking at Eagle.

"What did you do to him?" Alex asked as he was led down the hall. His hands were tied behind his back and already starting to hurt.

"It's a dose of what Lenor gave you," Michael said. His answer surprised Alex; he had not expected an answer.

"So--is he still testing--that shit he gave me?" Alex asked. He couldn't help but stumble over his words.

Michael shook his head. "After testing it on you and seeing the results, he's decided it can be used as a real weapon now. Renders the victim extremely sick with a short time. We used it on your friend just a few minutes ago," he said.

Alex clenched his jaw and tried not to think about what Eagle would be going through soon.

They were walking down a lighted corridor. "Where are we--" Alex started to ask, then he spotted a mark on the wall near him. It was a blotched, round shape, and brown like dried blood.

Trey glanced at him in suspicion for cutting off the question and then saw what he was watching. "Oh, that," he chuckled.

Alex asked a question with his eyes. "Sawyer got a little carried away, didn't he, Trey?" Michael said.

Trey nodded. "Got a temper, that one, and since there are no cleaners….It can serve as a reminded not to test the authority around here," he said with a grin that barely showed his teeth.

Alex looked away. He was disgusted with them. How could anyone be that way? What had happened to these people to make them this way? He felt like spitting to get rid of the bad taste in his mouth that came with just being around them.

If Alex was right, they were leading him somewhere he had never been. They had not covered his eyes; he took in as much as the area as he could and mapped it in his mind. It could be extremely useful later.

The stonework seemed old; all of it looked the same. No marks of remodeling as far as he saw, Alex wondered how much longer it would last before collapsing.

They led him away from the main hall to one so small they had to walk single-file. It got darker. The light provided by grimy lamps were behind them.

Michael led Alex. Trey was behind him. The man could have led him into a wall and he would not have known it until it was too late.

Squinting, Alex saw some light in the distance. He was more than a little relieved; being is the darkness with two crazy murderers was not something he ever wanted to do again.

Alex was turning a corner--or he thought that was where they wanted him to go. He was proved wrong when they jerked him back and towards a nearly invisible door. The wood looked old and battered, and more gray than brown. Michael kicked the door opened; Alex looked past him and was startled at what he saw.

There were stairs; they descended down into the darkness with only a few lights nailed to the side. These lights looked newer, Alex wondered if maybe the scientists and others had only just started wandering to other parts of the building.

He had glimpsed two passages in his walk that looked more abandoned than the rest. Spider webs hung from corners, the layers of dirt were noticeable by the unaided eye .

"If you trip and die we aren't burying you," Trey muttered and nudged Alex forward. With that comforting statement, Alex started descending.

The staircase wasn't as long as it looked at first. Maybe it was the surprise of seeing it, or the anxiousness Alex felt for whatever waited for him, but he could hear his heart pounding in his ears and was feeling rather claustrophobic.

He expected either Trey or Michael to snap at him any minute for having such a loud heart. They never spoke on the way down.

Alex had not realized he had stopped breathing as they reached the last stair. But as he cleared the stairs and got his first view of the room, his breath came whooshing out--and then back in.

He ended up choking on air and Trey had to slap his on the back, harder than was necessary, if you asked Alex.

Regaining his breath, Alex stepped away from the two men feeling a twinge of pain in his back as he did. There was definitely going to be a bruise there soon.

The room was wide, incredibly so. Alex thought it might have been a bit bigger than the tennis court at his school.

However, the most amazing thing about the room was the giant pool of water taking up most of the room.

There was just enough room around the pool to walk. The water was not a pretty sight. In fact, Alex had thought of a pool of ink when he first saw it.

The water was black. It smelled nasty, as well. _Like grease or something stuffy and thick, _Alex thought looking at the pool with disgust.

"Well," Alex said after a moment. Trey and Michael were watching him. "Your mud pool is real impressive and all, but is there some reason you brought me here?" he asked.

Trey grinned manically. The air was colder down here. _I wonder how far underground we are, _Alex thought.

Michael and Trey had still not answered his question. _Is some weird form of the silent treatment? _Alex wondered, feeling exasperated.

A rippling sound made him turn, horror and thoughts of water creatures flashed through his mind. Then, strong arms wrapped around his waist. Alex got a glimpse of dark hair and a cruel-looking face, and then he was under water.

Fortunately, reflexes had made Alex take a deep breath as he fell back into the inky blackness.

Right under the surface, Alex struggled, panicking. This had been planned. He now knew what Michael and Trey had been waiting on. _The bastards, _Alex thought while kicking violently.

He could already feel his oxygen leaving him. The fighting didn't help, but the man was not letting go, he'd drown them both!

The color of the water did not help at all. Alex could not see anything.

Desperation from the lack of air made Alex act more wild and uncontrollable then he probably would have. He jerked, kicked, punched, wiggled, and dug his fingers into the skin of his attacker.

As he found his attacker's face, he felt something inhuman near the mouth. It felt hard against his fingers, like plastic. Alex knocked it out. The man pulling him lower and lower, jerked in alarm.

Alex was ready to cry and beg--he had to have air. His lungs were burning with need, and his mind was feeling panic-stricken and hazy.

His captor let go and Alex felt him brush pass him roughly and swim away.

Which way was up?! Alex tried to remember which way the man had swam, following after him, he waited to see the surface.

For what seemed like hours he swam, his legs and arms were heavy. He felt like they were dragging him down instead of helping him to the surface.

It never came. With the feeling of utter defeat, Alex let the blackness engulf him.

**A/N: **Sorry again guys, something held me back from updating on Wednesday. Thanks for the feedback, and I'm sorry about the cliff hanger…okay, I'm not really, lol. But, I'll try my darnest to get you a fairly quick update!

**Sheluby94dreamer, Whatever95, AnGeL oF mAdNeSs, Jusmine, **I actually don't know where that is quoted from, what would make me feel really stupid is if I said it before in a story, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed my bursts of humor, lol. **Rasgara, MoonDrake, **Gasp! You wouldn't! (From the distance she hears it, a bad rendition of a Judy Garland song. "No, no, not that!") Okay, I give up here is your update--just stop the singing! **Keatlin, **Lol, I'll eat the skin but only if it's fried chicken, I actually put that in for my mum, lol. She hates the skin. **Drayconette, **I loved your last review. It just sounded funny as I read it, 'kinda gory', rofl. I still can't believe people are reading this story in the first place, hehe. **PleiadesWolfe, **Because they don't have a reason to kill them yet. What the shot contained isn't important to the story line, it's not likely it will play a part in it. **alex-rider-girl, BrazeRancor, vampassassin, Clemence, **I'm glad you like Sawyer considering he's my original character, thank you. Yes, you will see him in the next chapter. **Gold is power, Buchworm13, **

**OddlySane, **Okay, I'll probably leave them as they are then, thank you. **Blue Rider, **It's funny until you yourself bit into an apple just to find a surprise, lol. **Za Webmaster Authoress, **Lol, you're welcome. There are plenty of great AR fics out there to keep you company. I'll try to quicken the updates. **UrbanWulfeh, alexriderfreak, madmedjenna, hylian-dragoness, Taylor5795, Silvertrumpet26, **Revenge? Sweet little me? Not I, it's my other half that tortures your dear Yassen, the one that likes Sweeney Todd! **shadow Cullen, MarauderetteLily, **Probably school, and then there are the ones with jobs. I'm sure you will get a rush of updates during a vacation time. **pony girl-loves-McQueen, SheWeapon1, BellaBooTwilight, **Lol, you go girl. I can only do one or the other, I have to set aside days to write and days to do other stuff. **Static-Lightening, freakily obsessed Yassen fan, darkxangelx-xo, xxPrincessxBeckyxx, **Thank you! **XsuicideXkittyX, highonDr.Pepper, Oirishgoddess, **Thank you for the feedback!

**XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, **Did I really? I'm sorry, don't know how I overlooked you. Thank you for the feedback. **JaBoyYa, **My first death threat, I'm flattered! **Bradhadair fire starter, **Thanks, I've decided to leave things as they are for now. **Spicycute199, **Thank you. **dark-angel-7174, -Ace- **Nothing wrong with that, thanks for the summary suggestion! **Crystal Roads, **Thank you, hope your comp gets fixed real soon! **Fan O' Fanfic, AngelOfPastPresentAndFuture, **Thanks, lol. I get what you're saying, and it is slightly weird that people would stick around to read material where I think up ways to hurt AR characters--but I guess it is different.


	11. Chapter 11: Violence Is Golden

_I'm being used as a pillow._

That was the first thing Alex thought when he awoke. He felt faint amusement at the thought.

Or at least, the weight on his chest felt like he was being used as a human pillow._ It must be a heavy blanket_, Alex thought drowsily. He was cold, except for where the probably-blanket lay.

His senses were feeling lazy, and he still did not have the strength to open his eyes. It was like coming out of the dark very slowly.

The bed he recognized, though-- how could he not with that very familiar spring poking his back?

Memories of the black pool, and knowing he had been so close to death had goose bumps rising on Alex arms. Why wasn't he dead?

Then, he realized that his earlier thoughts of being used as a pillow were true. He opened his eyes, and saw the last thing he had expected.

Eagle's head was lying on his chest…and he was drooling in his sleep.

Alex's nose crinkled and he turned his head away from the smell of morning breath.

Something heavy was holding his feet down, Alex looked up warily. Yassen was leaning against the bed, his torso lay over Alex's feet.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" Alex wondered in a whisper.

He realized he was wet, and the skin on his palms was wrinkled. Alex tried moving a bit, but Eagle was a dead weight.

In the process of trying to move; he found that his shirt was gone. Freezing in surprise, another thought came to Alex, and his eyes widened in terror and embarrassment. A bit of heat warmed his face as a blushed slightly.

_They haven't removed my--no. _Letting out a sigh of relief, Alex smiled lightly.

He had been left with his underpants, although the jeans were missing, if the itchy blanket rubbing against his bare legs was anything to go by. Alex was glad they had at least left him with _some_ dignity.

Reassured now, he turned to the problem at hand. Alex tried pushing Eagle of, all the he managed to do was make the situation worse. Eagle sighed in contentment, making Alex roll his eyes. His eyes widened when Eagle threw a arm around his blanket-covered waist.

He wondered what he was supposed to do now. "Eagle? You're crushing me," Alex said. He was trying to wake up the man without disturbing the others he was sure were asleep.

Yassen still had not moved, his weight was numbing Alex's feet.

"Need some help with the human anvil?" It was Fox's voice. He sounded amused. Alex looked to see the man standing up from where he had been sitting next to Snake and coming over. He glimpsed Wolf sitting asleep in a corner.

A thought came to Alex. "How long have you been sitting there just watching me struggle to remove this elephant?" he accused.

Fox grinned down at him from beside the bed. "Since you woke up."

Alex glared. "Git," he said but a grin took away any bite the comment might have carried.

"Come on, Cub, you would have done the same thing," Snake said as he to came up them.

"Maybe," Alex relented with a sigh that was hard to do when he was being lain on. "Why is he on me in the first place?" Alex asked. "And what's with Yassen?"

Snake and Fox glanced at each other making Alex's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"How much do you remember?" Snake said, taking up his doctorlymanner.

"Someone tried to drown me, or scare the hell out of me. I thought I was dead," Alex said bluntly.

Fox leaned against the wall right next to the bed. He still made no move to remove Eagle. Alex wondered if it was just for the man's amusement.

"That person trying to drown you would be Sawyer." Alex glared at the other wall, thinking of revenge, while listening to Fox talk.

"One of them, Trey or that other guy, said something about him not knowing when to stop before they dumped you in here," Fox said.

"You were freezing, pale, and they had not even bothered to get you some dry clothes," Snake said. He didn't look all that happy, and Alex looked away

"With the temperature in here and the amount of time you spent in that water, you could have easily developed hypothermia. You were already shaking, and you wouldn't wake up, either," Fox said. He looked a tad worried.

"Oh," Alex said, at loss for better words.

"We only have that one blanket and it really didn't seem to be helping," Fox said.

"And these people already proved that they couldn't care less if you die or not. We figured it was up to us to save you," Snake said. "I mentioned something about body heat, Eagle had a fever and I think he was a bit dazed." Snake chuckled a bit.

"Probably doesn't even know he's been keeping you warm all night long," Fox said with a laugh. "Your feet and legs were cold, too," he added with a glance at Yassen.

Alex grinned a bit. "I'm fine now, so if you would be so kind," he gestured toward Eagle.

"I wanted to see his face when he woke up," Snake muttered.

Alex growled in mock warning. "I'm _really _not comfortable with my current position," he said.

From Alex's chest Eagle muttered, "I am."

Alex glared down at him. "Get off me!"

He could feel Eagle frowning into the blanket, "What's goin' on?" he mumbled.

"You're trapping me. And while I appreciate the reason, you can get up now!" Alex said, pushing the man's shoulder roughly.

Blinking blearily, Eagle got into a sitting position, looking tired and pale. Frowning, Alex looked at him in question as he remembered what he had suffered while Alex was away.

"You okay?" Alex asked as he sat up. He was feeling slightly sorry he had pushed the man away when he was obviously not feeling to well.

"I'm better than I was," Eagle said rubbing his eyes. Then he smiled at Alex. "Thanks for letting me use you as a teddy," he said.

Alex sighed. "Just don't do it again and--thanks for keeping me warm," he added grudgingly.

Eagle clapped him on the shoulder with a small smile. "Stop getting into those life-threatening situations, then," he said.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Trouble finds me, not the opposite way around."

"Sure it does," said Wolf teasingly. Alex turned to glare at him."_You're _supposed to be asleep," he said accusingly.

Wolf faked a snore.

Then the door opened and there playful teasing dissolved into silence. Sawyer came in and Wolf stood, looking at the man with a angry and yet guarded expression.

Yassen awoke at the sounds of the door opening. Without a glance at the others he stood at the end of the bed and crossed his arms. To Alex he looked like a silent guard, a guard he certainly would _not _want to piss off.

Sawyer saw Yassen as well, and Alex was certain he saw a flicker of uncertainty pass over his grinning features. Alex couldn't blame him--while Yassen didn't look mad, he did look cold and dangerous.

Sawyer walked over to the cage. His dark eyes met Alex's narrowed ones. "So you're finally awake?"

"No, I'm asleep," Alex said with a raised eyebrow. Sawyer's mouth twitched.

"If you're capable of making your smart-arsed comments, then I guess you're able to come with me," Sawyer said as he unlocked the cage.

Alex ignored Wolf who stepped forward and got out of the bed. He grabbed his still-wet jeans and put them back on. "We going for another swim?" Alex asked, "because you might want to take some swimming lessons first. You sucked at it, if I remember right."

Sawyer opened the cell door taking out a small gun and gesturing toward the door with it. "The loss of oxygen must have damaged your brain, Rider. I'm a terrific swimmer--I just need some practice drowning people."

Alex came closer and looked for his shirt as he walked. Snake threw it to Alex--but Sawyer reached out and caught it.

"You won't be needing that, Rider. No reason to get it bloody."

Wolf stepped forward, and stopped when Sawyer raised the gun. "I'd love to shoot all of you, don't tempt me," Sawyer said his gaze stayed on Wolf and Yassen longer then the others.

He grasped Alex by the back of his neck and pushed him out of the cell.

Alex turned his head to give a glare full of hatred to Sawyer. The man smirked and nudged Alex forward again his hand strong on he teen's shoulder blades.

Shaking the hand off, Alex walked down the hall.

"Not so fast, wouldn't want you to trip," Sawyer chuckled darkly. Shaking his head, Alex tried not to let his anger show. The man just had an air about him, it made Alex want to scream in hatred.

He let out a breath he hadn't know he'd been holding. Sawyer was whistling an eerie tune behind him. Alex wondered if the man was mocking him in some way.

The walk was short. Sawyer stopped him by grabbing his arm and throwing him toward a door in the hall. Startled, Alex arms flew up to protect his face from hitting the door. But his arms made the loose door fly open and hit the wall with a bang.

"You're so eager, Rider," Sawyer laughed.

Lip curled over his teeth, Alex turned quickly. His fists were balled. He wanted to use them--on anything! Feeling the need to let loose the extra emotion, Alex charged at Sawyer, who simply pushed him back and away, knocking Alex into a table in the way.

The small table, jerked and fell over sideways. Sawyer was there in a second. "Tsk, tsk, that's not the good behavior that is expected of you."

"_So _sorry, shall we try again?" Alex asked.

Sawyer righted the table, opening his mouth to speak – but Alex kicked from the table again, and then tried to catch Sawyer in the jaw with his foot.

It didn't work.

Sawyer caught his foot, and with a swift motion, he twisted it brutally, and Alex fell to the floor, banging his head on the way down.

Stars exploded in his eyes and a sharp throb spread from the back of his head, and shoulders, from the impact

Sawyer chuckled as he stood over Alex. Trying to get up proved an useless act as Sawyer lifted his foot and placed it firmly on Alex's chest.

"Get off me," Alex growled. Raising a eyebrow, Sawyer cocked his head watching him like a interesting bug.

"I don't think so. I brought you here to try and beat some sense into you, and to show you that a proud, haughty attitude; will only cause you more pain. I think we can start that lesson now."

His booted foot caught Alex in the side of his jaw.

A grunt of pain and surprise escaped Alex's lips. His teeth had clashed together with surprising loudness, he could taste the metallic taste of blood. The sharp, throbbing pain in his tongue told him he had bit it.

Through blurred eyes, Alex saw Sawyer move to pick up something.

"All you have to do is obey orders. Think you can do _that_ much, Rider?" he mocked.

Alex's frown, which seemed permanently glued on his face these days, was suddenly more pronounced. Not liking Sawyer's condescending tone and the mockery, he lifted himself to a kneeling position.

"Uh uh, you're going to make me mad. I didn't tell you to move. Lie down."

Alex guffawed rudely. "If you think I'm taking orders from _you_,think again."

The displeased look on Sawyers look disappeared as he raised a heavy stick in his hands. "I guess I'll just have to be your teacher, Rider. In this lesson, you'll learn how to obey."

Alex dodged the club as it was waved at him. Sawyer laughed. "Want to play, eh?"

Once again, Alex jumped away, going three steps closer to the door and being careful not to get stuck in a corner. "What are you, the schoolyard bully?" he snapped.

Sawyer just chuckled in that infuriating way he had. "Something like that," he murmered.

Frowning in confusion, and curiosity, Alex barely managed to get out of the way of the next swing. The club hit the wall, and dust and bits of gravel fell from it. Sawyer wasn't playing games. Alex's attention was on the wall just a second too long, and it cost him.

He was unable to escape when Sawyer lunged at him. The club smashed into the side of his chest.

It was the sickening crack sound that made Alex's eyes widen. Then the incruciating pain almost held him back as the club fell again. Instead of lying there helpless, Alex rolled and dodged.

Sawyer laughed. "You're pretty good at this game, Rider. I should give you more credit."

Alex was gasping, from the mostly pain, and a bit from the exertion.

It was sad, how out of shape he was getting. If the scientists kept this up they wouldn't have the healthy test subject they wanted much longer.

_And that's when you'll die, _Alex couldn't help thinking.

For now, they were interested in him. He was probably the youngest test subject among them, and they seemed to like the challenge of breaking his spirit--like Sawyer was trying to do now.

Standing, a bit more hesitantly now that he was injured, Alex watched Sawyer.

Sawyer had a scarred hand caressing his bristly chin. His dark eyes were studying once again. The gaze made Alex shiver even though he tried to fight it.

Seeing the tremble, Sawyer smiled.

Knowing he had given Sawyer some satisfaction, Alex pressed his growing nails into his palms. He could feel his nails carving half-crescent moons into the pale skin.

His arms were stiff against his sides, and his defensive posture made the smile on Sawyer's face widen.

Time was suspended for just a moment, they both stared at each other over a short distance. Each wondering when the other would move. Alex hated the feeling that was overwhelming him, as well as the pain he felt that seared through his right side, which was making him slump over from the effort to stay standing.

Sawyer had hit him good, and thus it was fortunate he hadn't broken more than one bone.

With a soft grunt, Sawyer attacked. Alex blocked and sidestepped the attacks. He realized that Sawyer had caught him up against the wall and lifted his arm to ward of the blow to his face, wincing at the pain of the wall impacting on his broken ribs.

The dull swack of wood hitting flesh made Alex wince, but he ducked under Sawyer's raised arm, barely biting back the scream from bending slightly with a broken rib. The man had not expected his quick reaction, and was caught of guard when Alex tried to trip him.

Sawyer stumbled, and Alex took the diversion to run for the door. It was sure to be locked--but if he pulled hard enough….

The door handle was in his hands and he was yanking on it hard enough so that his arms ached with the effort.

He wasn't successful, though, and Sawyer wrapped one arm around his neck and the other the other around his chest.

Alex could feel the rumbling laughter but when Sawyer spoke, there was anger in his voice.

"Seems I still haven't gotten through to you, have I, pet?"

Before Alex could respond, he was pushed to his knees and the club descended on his side.

He collapsed on the ground with a small gasp. Alex didn't want to get up, what was the use--he would just be knocked down again. But, at least it wasn't on the already damaged side, and he didn't think anything broke this time.

Sawyer wasn't going to take any more chances. He hit Alex again in the same spot before kicking him in the face. His mouth still ached in memory of the wounds he had suffering not minutes before.

Adding to them hurt twice as much. Bruise over bruise, he would look like a different person when this 'lesson' was over.

Even though he wanted to, and wanted to a _lot. _Alex just couldn't roll over and take it.

He wasn't raised that way, he was raised as a fighter and a fighter he would remain.

Alex tried getting to his knees, but Sawyer's hard knee dug into his back at the motion.

"Wrong move. Your disobedience and pride caused this." His cruel, cold hand found the broken rib that threatening to break the skin. Alex fought back a scream as Sawyer pushed down on it.

"Hurts doesn't it, Rider?" Sawyer asked lightly. Alex was trying to regain his breath and didn't respond. Yes, it did bloody hurt, but he would rather shove the club in his mouth then admit it.

"_Doesn't it_,Rider?" he repeated more firmly. One hand snaked up Alex's bare back to pull sharply at the hair near his neck.

Alex bit his lip and felt pain as his skin cracked and started bleeding. "Yes," he murmered. The feeling of defeat crawled up his spine--a lot like Sawyers fingers had.

Sawyer made a pleased sound in the back of his throat. "That's right, I knew you could be taught."

Alex's face twisted furiously. He tried to buck Sawyer off, but the man stood before he could be pushed off balance.

Alex immediately stood and backed away. Glancing down, he caught a glimspe of his black and blue torso before quickly looking back up.

Sawyer was walking towards him. His head shook as he talked and walked. "You're making this harder then it needs to be, Rider. Remember that I tried to warn you when you wake up."

Alex knew what he meant and felt a short, spasm of fear. Sawyer intended to beat him unconsciousness.

Knowing that he would succeed made Alex feel worse. He was tired, he was hungry, and was always dehydrated, he was losing weight, and all odds were against him.

That didn't mean he was going down without a fight.

**A/N: **So here is your chapter, _please _review. Did you not hear the very-close-to-begging sound in my--er--typing? I need reviews, they are _preicoussssss. _Plus, I have a sore throat, anyone feel pity? If not--shall I go into how I can not eat the last piece of chocolate cake because my throat _hurts. _Okay, I'm done complaining now.

**keatlin, **(Grins) You shall find out soon enough. **JaBoyYa**, I have read several torture fics, the characters never seem to do anything to deserve the torture, it is just handed out--like flyers you throw away. Wow, deep, lol. **Jusmine, **Hope this make's up for the last chapter, thank you for reading. **BrazeRancor**, Lol, I don't imagine that would impress anybody. **ponygirl-loves-mcqueen, AnGeL oF mAdNeSs, Buchworm13, Gold is power, swabloo, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, sheluby94dreamer, **OO My soul? Eek! **Blue Rider, OddlySane, Za Webmaster Authoress, silvertrumpet26, darkxangelx-xo, Bradhadair fire starter, Kayli, **Thank you for the idea, I have a good idea where this is going now though. **The Dreaded Fangirl, Rasgara, alex-rider-girl, freakily obsessed Yassen fan, **Haha, I don't think Alex would agree with his death being almost as bad, lol! **XsuicideXkittyX, MoonDrake, **My ears! They're mellllttting. kurleyhawk2, **whatever95, Crystal Roads, **I take a while to fix mistakes, sorry. What is it with people setting animals on me!? Singing cockatoos, mad hamsters and even Harley from CiaM!**SheWeapon1, **(Smiles like a moron). Thank you, (blushes), lol. **hylian-dragoness, **Lol, I do that to. **PleiadesWolfe, oirishgoddess, **Trust me, if they had gadgets they would have been our of this place long ago, lol. Thanks for R&R'ing! **Lupinismylover**, I got more written, it's just not ready to be posted, lol.


	12. Chapter 12: Failed Escape

Sawyer lunged at him. Alex, having noticed Sawyer's intentions, immediately swung around. His right foot caught Sawyer in his solar plexus.

Sawyer staggered back from the blow, a gasp escaping his lips. Alex lunged forward and grabbed the club. It was a desperate struggle, but Sawyer was still winded. It was surprising that he had not lost consciousness from a blow that hard.

Alex's already sore hands jerked violently at the club. He felt the splinters dig into his tender skin, and Alex bit his lip.

Alex kneed Sawyer in the groin, and with a gasp the man fell over. Alex looked down. Lifting the club, he saw Sawyer's eyes staring at him.

He swung the club, and it hit the man in the temple. Eyes rolled backwards so the whites showed and Sawyer went completely limp.

Alex knew a blow like that could easily have killed the man, he found he didn't care.

He let the club hit Sawyer's head again, but held on to it. He could have been watched this whole time. Men with guns could be making their way toward him now.

Alex bent over quickly, his back protested and Alex felt tears on pain pricking his eyes. Holding his breath, he picked up the gun that had fallen out of Sawyer's pocket.

It took more strength then Alex would admit, but in the end, he did not shoot the man.

With a look of mixed pity and disgust, Alex swung around for the door. These events tended to happen quickly. Alex waited behind the door, listening.

No pounding footsteps, no screaming about escaping prisoners. He wasn't sure this was a good thing. He checked the gun. It appeared Sawyer wasn't making empty threats. It was loaded and heavy in his hand.

Alex opened the door, stuck his head out for a quick glance of the hall.

He walked out in the hall, the gun was in both his hands, he wouldn't think twice before shooting. Of that, he was sure.

He went down the hall hastily but with caution. His bare feet padded silently on the freezing stone, but Alex wished he had stolen Sawyer's shoes.

If he was correct, the he was heading in the opposite direction of where K Unit and Yassen were. Alex was also heading the opposite direction of where they had been led not three days ago.

He was going to find out what the scientists were scared of.

Hopefully, this path would lead him to the exit as well. He continued down the halls for several minutes

without interruption.

Surely, Sawyer must have been found by now? Why had an alarm not gone off?

Alex quickened his pace so he was almost jogging down the hall. Then he saw a door at the end of the dark corridor. There was no handle, so Alex carefully pulled the door open.

A rush of warm air hit him. Alex gasped and almost dropped the gun in his surprise. The warmth was welcomed – Alex was freezing and had been since he'd woken up in this nightmare. The door had opened up to another hall, and the slightly warmer air drew him in.

Alex shut the door behind him and shuffled warily. The farther down the hall he went, the warmer it got. His blond eyebrows creased in confusion.

This was definitely not the way the scientists had brought him before. What were they so scared of? It was warmer here; if anything, you would think they would want warmer temperatures to work in.

His curiosity piqued, as well as his magnet for trouble. Alex walked forward.

There was one more door and Alex opened it quickly. He wasn't sure what to expect, but a staircase was not it.

He ascended it, and at the top, Alex could see a light. He jumped up the stairs two at a time. Alex counted as he jumped, so by the time he reached the top, he'd counted twenty steps.

There was a very small space there. A small oil lamp hung from a nail on the old wall. Beyond that was another door. Alex scowled, and wrenched the door open – just to see a wall.

The teen frowned. What was this? Had he walked this far just to find a dead end?

Alex looked behind him to check for any sign of life. No one was following him. With that assurance, Alex stowed the gun in the side of his waistband, and knelt to study the wall.

His sore and cold fingers traced around the wall. Was it just his imagination, or was there a space all the way around it?

Alex sucked on his bottom lip, the blood on it had dried, but still painful to touch.

Alex put both of his hands on the right side of the door-sized wall and pushed. It gave way with a grinding sound. In his surprise, Alex fell forward. The light of a torch landed on his face and a voice above him cursed in Russian.

Alex hands quickly found the gun just as he was grabbed and lifted to his feet.

He was shaken roughly and could barely make out the face of his attacker. Knowing this was exactly the time to use his weapon, Alex cocked the gun, and pressed his finger against the trigger.

"Aaggh!" The Russian let out a terrible shriek as the bullet dove into his leg. Alex dropped and landed on one knee. In a lurching movement, he brought the butt of the gun against the man's creased temple.

The screaming stopped when the man fell, unconscious.

Alex diverted his eyes from the blood starting to pool beneath the man's leg. He had to do it – he was not going to taken back to his cell and beaten for disobedience. Alex would not let them play God with his health anymore.

He was getting out – and he was doing so now.

It seemed he was in the furnace room – It was warm in here. The large man that had attacked him had split a soda can over in his haste. The sweet drink was currently being soaked into the man's janitor suit.

Alex saw some rope hanging from the wall. It was covered in cobwebs and fraying at the ends. Alex grabbed it and turned the injured man onto his plump stomach.

A little grunt escaped the man's mouth as Alex wrenched his arms behind his back. Alex quickly wrapped the man's wrists in a tight knot, and he pulled at it to test it's strength.

The knot was unmoved, and with a satisfied nod, Alex moved to leave the room through the door.

With his attention on the large guard, he never noticed the watching eyes until it was too late.

Alex head whipped around at the whooshing sound – then he hit the ground unconscious and unmoving.

…………………………..

Thump. Alex's forehead crinkled at the sound. With each thump he heard, lances of pain streaked up his legs.

His bare feet were scratching against the ground. Alex realized that it was his feet making the odd thumping noise. He was being pulled backwards down the stairs.

Through a haze of pain, he heard a moan.

His eyes felt glued together. The jarring pain in his head reminded him of how he had been caught of guard.

The person dragging him did not stop, but he heard a dark chuckle. He knew that laugh.

"I should've killed you when I had the chance," Alex muttered. His hoarse voice pained his throat and he barely heard it.

Sawyer heard him, though, and laughed. The slightly hysterical sound brought Alex to his senses. Though everything was still blurry, the pain seemed to cover every inch of his body.

"I could say the same for you, Rider. You knock me out and then take my gun…I underestimated you, boy, but it won't happen again." His voice was rough with pain and anger.

Alex tried struggling. They were both hurt, hopefully Sawyer more then him. If he could wrench his arms out of Sawyer's vice like grip, maybe he could run back up the stairs.

It didn't seem to be working. Alex jerked his arms and kicked with a vengeance. Sawyer let out a frustrated sound and fought just as hard.

Then, Sawyer lost his footing and together they fell down the stairs.

The breath left Alex and he landed on the floor with a loud gasp. Then, not even a second later Sawyer's heavy weight landed on his back. From his midsection, Alex heard a crack as at least two ribs were broken from the pressure.

The surprise and pain had him gasping again. It sounded like a sob as it caught in his throat. Alex started coughing and trying to squirm out from under Sawyer's body.

He collapsed as all the breath left his body and was aghast the see blood on his arm where he had coughed on it.

"Get off!" Alex yelled, his voice caught again and he tried not to start coughing again.

Desperation clawed at his stomach: he had to get out of here. He was slowly dying, and just how much longer could he last?

From deep in his heart, he felt growing anguish. He had tried so hard to escape, and now here he was, trapped and coughing up blood.

"Get off, get off, get off!" Alex yelled repeatedly as he kicked. Sawyer wasn't moving that much. Alex wondered if he was unconscious or enjoying the show.

He was almost free – only half of his legs had to be pulled out from under Sawyer's thick torso.

Voices made his head jerk up to look down the hall. "No," Alex whispered. His eyes were wide and in a moment of strength, he kicked his legs free.

He got a glimpse of Sawyer's bloody face, before standing.

Alex never made it to his feet, "Ugh!" The pain in his voice echoed down the corridor, and he bit his lip against another cry.

He had suffered broken bones before, but this was entirely different. Feeling dizzy, he somehow found himself kneeling on the ground.

His shaky hand found his side--and then found the bone sticking out of his skin. Alex looked down to stare at his red torso and the white of bone poking through the skin.

Then his eyes rolled back in his head. With a pitiful whimper, he lost all consciousness.

…………………………

Despite the fact that he was unconscious, it did not stop the beatings. To Alex it seemed the people who had brought him back had continued to throw him in a grinder.

He realized that this was what it felt to be run over by wild animals. Alex tried to focus on where most of the pain was coming from.

He found the main spot for the pain, and he found it all at once.

The sound of confusion and agony was coming from him. Alex sat up straight just to fall back down with a shiver. The floor was slightly damp, he was freezing, and feeling worse than ever before.

His arms were numb with cold. Alex tried to wrap his arms around himself, but found his right hand was heavy. It was the same hand where most of his pain was coming from, Alex warily looked at it.

To his horror and disgust, he saw a hole in his hand.

With a swift movement, he was leaning over and coughing up blood again. Lack of food and water kept his stomach empty, or else he would have been puking.

The hole was small, in the web of flesh between his thumb and index finger, digging in about three quarters of the way through. And there was a piece of metal, inside. Judging by the shape of the hole…he'd been shot. Right. In. His. Hand.

"What did you _do to me_," he moaned in a small voice.

No one answered his cry. Alex didn't bother to look for someone. He knew from the silence that he was alone.

There, in the dark room he cradled his mutilated hand to his chest. By the size of the hole, he would say someone had shot him with maybe a .22, at a slightly far range…

How could he have not noticed sooner? Was he drugged to stay asleep longer?

Alex carefully ripped a piece of cloth from the hem of his tattered shirt, that strip of cloth already hanging by a few threads (like his hope), and wrapped it around the sluggishly bleeding wound. The skin was torn and limp; the bullet had almost passed all the way through his hand.

Seeing it was worse then Alex's past nightmares and beatings combined. Those were in the past, this was now.

_It could be infected,_ Alex thought as he finished wrapping the bit of cloth around the wound.

Where the material touched, it burned. It was like placing his hand on a stovetop, then poking a knife through his flesh.

That and the other injuries had him in tears, and even closer to going insane.

He couldn't fight for freedom in this condition, if he was to escape. He would have to depend on others. Now, those other were nowhere to be seen.

The guards had left him in an unfamiliar room; it was small, empty and cold. Something built up in his chest and Alex coughed again. His throat felt like it was being squeezed, and it was hard to breathe.

Alex kneeled on the filthy ground, his jeans wet with the layer of water coating the floor. He frowned; if the room was flooding, did they plan on letting him drown?

The room with all the water, was that a result of flooding? The water looked and smelt old, so it could be water built up from years of flooding. Alex wondered this with a frown.

If so, the scientists would only be able to keep this up so long before the rooms they worked in was no longer any good.

"Why didn't they bring someone in to fix the leaks?" Alex asked aloud, slurring slightly.

At that moment, footsteps made him jerk in surprise. His thumb from his left hand dug into the palm of his right. The movement surprised Alex and the jarring pain made him lean over.

His teeth were gritted as he held back a scream. Alex's forehead touched the rocks and cooled his fevered skin.

He had not even realized he how hot he was feeling until now. His skin was feeling sweaty, the heat making him want to fan himself.

"Brought you some playmates Rider."

Alex looked up. The familiar guards, Trey and Michael, were standing there in the doorway. Together, they and some others pushed the K-Unit and Yassen forward. Alex saw many worried expressions and he understood why.

What a sight he must have made.

Many of the injuries covering his body were bleeding. The open-wound rib fracture contributed the most to the blood dripping to the floor.

In some places, the drying blood was thicker. In others, it just speckled the stones.

Some of it was too old to be his own.

Alex could feel the gazes of horror on his motionless body. He tried to ignore it and concentrate on his breathing.

Any movement he made sent pains through his weakened body, and the last thing he needed was to black out again.

"You really did a number on Sawyer," Trey chuckled. "Completely drained him of all the happiness and joy his kind heart contained."

Alex didn't reply. His throat was closing up again, getting ready to cough up more blood. He fought the urge, his muscles stiffening.

"Look's like Sawyer did a number on him as well," an unfamiliar guard muttered.

Trey made an agreeing sound, "Your latest theatrics, while very entertaining, have made the high ups decide you're more of a pain in the arse then they expected."

Michael took over where Trey left off as he pushed K Unit closer to Alex.

"Be glad we're giving you a chance to heal. Need a _living_ test subject. But don't expect us to be nice when you're back in the game. And believe me, it won't be long until then, Rider."

_**A/N: I'm going to start responding to reviewers the usual way. **_The AN was almost longer then the chapter! I'm doing NaNoWriMo this month; where I basically have to write a book from scratch, it's taking up some of my time but I'll get chapter thirteen to you eventually. I was going to be ending this story soon, but Nyxelestia convinced me to keep writing. So, Thanks Nyxelestia! And to make up for the month since I updated, I'll go write a long, chapter filled with gore--I know how much you guys like gore! Guess how many cups of coffee I've had (maniac grin).

**The Bloodless Butterfly, **Thanks, I ate the cake anyway, lol. **PsychoWing, BrazeRancor, **He's horrible enough to do something like that, but I'm not horrible enough to write it (says the one torturing them all). **Jusmine, alex-rider-girl, masqueradingHEART, **(Feels giddy) thank you. **whatever95, ****Drayconette, Lilly Tiger, ****riderxXx, SheWeapon1, **My muse likes nightmares, I'm sure there will be more to come. **Tati10077, ****Buchworm13, **Steps away slowly, lol. Seriously, I don't blame you, he deserves all you give him. **XsuicideXkittyX, CraZyPshyChoLadY, **Thanks, I'm all better now. The weather is pretty now, I'm resisting going for a bike ride now, lol. **Gold is power, Knyghtshade, , Blue Rider, darkxangelx-xo, OddlySane, oirishgoddess, **Scrabble? (Snickers) Sawyer isn't about to give them toys to pass the time (even though K Unit and Yassen playing Twister would be _hilarious_). **Za Webmaster Authoress, Alexriderfreak, PleiadesWolfe, **You bet, but the searchers are looking to high, (hint hint). **TheMarySueMurderer, **Your name made me laugh, and I'm glad you like.**ponygirl-loves-mcqueen, Sunlit-Oceans, **I'm looking at this chapter thinking it sucks, my expectations have been raised higher. Keep writing, listen to constructive criticism, try new things. Great writers aren't born with talent, they have to make themselves what they are, (smile). **JaBoyYa, **Torture is for the bad guys that like to brag. The bad guys that are good at what they do just squeeze the trigger, like Yassen. Less talk, more action. Thanks, lol. **Anne Phoenix, silvertrumpet26, kisstina123, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, **(Blink) like the Hulk? **Bradhadair fire starter, Lady Shadow Of Time, MoonDrake, **We're sorry, this author has been driven insane. Please leave a message after the beep and her split personality will get back to you. Beep! **Erurawien, **It's after Snakehead, I'm sure I mentioned Ash, but I may have imagined it and yet never typed it (happened before). **freakily obsessed Yassen fan, ****fattoad, **Or he would be terrified, lol. **supernova-kamakazifrogs, Lea Cat, keatlin, Zoeyua, Midnight-Shadow18450**, Thanks, I used about two bags of cough drops, lol. **Be, **Yum, virtual cookie. **Amanda, **Thank you! hylian-dragoness, Iceprincess89023, threeaquila, talking-and-walking-thesaurus, Mizu1411, vballmania23, **SUPERNATURALfreakisJOBROFAN19, Dragoness of the Silver Flames, ****Floraflower, Crystal Roads, **Sorry about the wait! **Cad2u, Gosangoku, **Thank you for your patience! **Urahara Fan, Poke-Me-Im-Strange, **I know plenty of bad guys that are good looking, lol--but I know what you mean. It's usually the main bad guy that is ugly, Voldemort, Darth Vader, Saint Dane, and others. **Wolfmonster, **Thanks for the get well! And yes, I do believe reviews make me write faster. When the author is happy, her fingers want to type, simple logic, lol. **aliyah-rider**, Oh no! Not the pixies--they took my brothers brain! **MixedUpAndMadeUp, Alatariel Palantir, allison, white06rose, aimael, **Sighs happily. Good, I've tried a lot to keep Yassen in character. Thank you and I hope you liked the update!


	13. Chapter 13: Bravery

The slam from the door seemed to vibrate in the horrified silence that followed the guard's departure.

Alex, still bent over his furiously burning hand, lowered his head back to the wet floor. He felt so dizzy, and the sight of his own blood pooling beneath him churned his stomach.

If he didn't faint from the blood loss, his loathe of seeing blood everywhere would. Alex could feel the haziness on the corners of his eyes. It seemed to hint at a soon-to-come loss of consciousness.

In front of him, Snake moved from where he'd been staring. He seemed bewildered and in shock as he stumbled over his own feet and reached for Alex's slumped shoulder.

"How…can they do this to a child?" he uttered in a low voice. Snake kneeled slowly, as if worried Alex would have a bad reaction to the close contact.

Alex was pale, and the blood that was on his face made him seem so much worse.

"I don't think Alex can be considered a child," Eagle said quietly from behind them.

Alex's head was pounding, and he wished he could have said something, but the fog was thick in his mind. Everything he heard seemed to come from a far distance. Snake laid his hand on Alex's neck to check for a pulse. All the while, Alex paid attention to his breathing. If he didn't concentrate on something, he was likely to pass out.

Taking his hand away from Alex's neck, Snake looked down at the boy with concern and frustration.

"Here," he said gently as he maneuvered Alex so he lay on his back.

Alex never complained – he was too far gone. His eyes were open, but he barely saw the ceiling. Seeing his emotionless expression, Snake cursed and blinked quickly.

"What can I do to help?" Wolf asked from near the door.

Until now he's been quiet, watching and waiting. Noticing how Alex kept his right hand on his chest with his left hand holding it there, Snake pulled it up to examine it for injury. Alex groaned when his injured hand was pulled roughly up, the pain making his body jerk and pulling him away from the edge of unconsciousness. They all stared in disgusted horror at the mutilated hand.

"No," Snake murmured softly to Alex, who to pull his hand back – the sight of it made him close his eyes. "I need-" Snake was cut off as Yassen willingly gave up his

undershirt, pulling on his over-shirt after handing the thin, white material to Snake.

It took a few tries, but Snake eventually ripped an uneven length of the material from the shirt.

Alex was grateful for the gentle way Snake wrapped his hand. Anymore pain and it was very likely he would pass out. In fact, he was sure to pass out within a few moments, anyway.

The blood loss left him incoherent and sick to the stomach, and Alex passed out at that moment, his head slumping to the side and his eyes closing as he slid.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sounds of eating awoke him. Alex didn't need to look for him to know that K Unit and Yassen were eating – pigs made less noise.

Although he felt tired, achy, and stiff – and pains still made his hand tremble – Alex did feel better than how he had earlier.

Someone had moved him from his previous spot on the floor. His limbs were straight, his head rested on what felt like a shirt. Probably Snake's jacket if the zipper pressing into his ear was anything to go by.

_If we have to keep using our clothes like this, we'll be naked in no time, _Alex thought, and his forehead crinkled with the thought.

They'd already injured them, gave them shit for food, and now they were going to be without clothes.

Alex only just stopped himself from thinking 'how much worse can it get?'.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again unless he was knocked out, Alex sat up slowly.

Fox came over quickly and helped him, "Hey… you're not going to barf on me or anything right?"

Alex swallowed and winced at the pain in his throat. "I'll tell you when I know," he said.

Yassen came over and handed him some water in a small plastic cup, and Alex drank it

all within a few painful gulps.

"Thanks," he said. He felt his stomach turn over and hoped it was grateful as well. The idea of spending his time bent over the toilet again was not appealing.

"There's…some kind of meat, if you want some," Eagle said. "They brought it over when you were unconscious, along with the water and cup."

Alex looked over to see him staring suspiciously at cuts of meat on a metal plate.

"What kind of meat?" he asked, and moved so that his back leaned against the wall.

Wolf held of a piece with his fingertips only touching, and waved it in the air. "Cat: the other white meat," he said jokingly.

Eagle snorted and Fox rolled his eyes. Alex laughed softly, as he didn't think he could stand a belly laugh – he might end up sick.

"Meow," Wolf said and he grinned widely.

It hurt to laugh, and after realizing this, it was surprisingly hard to stop. When his hand suddenly shook by its own accord, Alex's laughing stopped. The consequences for a minute of joy were enough to make Alex bit his lip and his back burned in punishment.

Knowing he was in pain, K-Unit was quiet until Alex straightened a bit.

"We saved you some of Mr. Fluffypants," Fox said.

"…Mr. Fluffy…pants," Wolf said slowly, his eyes narrowed in disbelief that someone would torture an animal with that name.

Eagle laughed at his expression. "You look like an idiot, Wolf," he said.

"He's not an idiot," Snake scolded lightly, putting his hands on his hips like an elderly grandmother, or Jack on one of the few occasions Alex was wary of her cooking.

Alex nodded in mock severity and pursed his lips.

"That's right…he's not stupid – he's possessed by a mentally deficient ghost," Alex said, and a smile broke out on his dirty face.

Dodging the 'cat' meat was difficult with the pains, but Alex managed it. The sad thing was, once he was down, he couldn't seem to get back up. Jolts of pain shot through his

back, so that he didn't want to move.

"What's the matter Cub?" Wolf asked innocently. It was obvious that he knew Alex couldn't get back up, but he was unaware of the pain Alex was experiencing.

Alex tried to be still. He wanted to draw the attention away from himself, "I've fallen and I can't get up," he said with a forced laugh. Even the light chuckle made his back jerk with the amount of pain he experienced.

He had to hold in a gasp and looked away from the others so they couldn't see his expression. Only Yassen seemed to notice how bad he felt. The assassin quickly lifted him to a sitting position by placing his arms under Alex's armpits.

"Sometimes bravery is a quiet voice asking for help, when he doesn't think he'll receive it," Yassen muttered so only Alex could hear.

Then Yassen sat next to him. Alex was happy that the man had not moved away. He was so and cold he could feel Yassen's body heat warming his left side..

"Who said that?" he asked curiously. The quote wasn't one he remembered before, but he liked it.

Yassen grinned in amusement, "I just made it up, but it sounded good, did it not?"

Alex was too busy trying not to laugh, and cause himself more pain, so he never answered.

It was hard to believe that after so much agony, and worry, he could still laugh.

"Since when did you get a sense of humor?" Eagle asked Yassen since he had seen Alex trying not to laugh. "I thought you were the ultimate, scary, I-eat-children-for breakfast, kind of guy?"

Yassen shrugged, "No children to eat around here except you – and you smell rather unpalatable."

Eagle pouted and not so subtly sniffed his armpit. Wolf let out a chuckle when Eagle pretended to faint from the smell. _Or maybe he wasn't pretending, _Alex thought when he smelt his own armpit.

"Holy shit, bring the ones keeping us here back in. One sniff of this and we'll be free," Alex said with a gesture to his underarm.

"Free or crazy," Fox muttered. "Yeah, you, come over here and sniff this," he said with a goofy look before rolling his eyes.

"It seems that after so long in here, their brains have started melting," Snake muttered.

"That's why the water level is getting higher!" Eagle said with a burst of laughter. He fell over with a small splash.

No laughter came after this announcement. The steadily rising water was worrying, and not even Eagle could make this scenario funny. Anyone who knew Eagle understood what that meant.

"How long do you think they'll leave us here?" Alex asked. His voice was quiet. There was much he wanted to say, but he felt sick every time he tried.

There was a silence as K-Unit looked at each other, none of them wanting to answer. All of them not willing to add to Alex's stress. He was already injured, and in more than just body.

"You will most likely receive a couple of days rest," Yassen said. "After all, what fun is it to spend time torturing someone when they are unable to truly feel it? I am sure Sawyer would feel as though his talents were being wasted if he was to use them on an unconscious corpse."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Eagle muttered. "You're scary."

Yassen raised an eyebrow and his mouth twitched – but just barely.

"When have you _ever _said that?" Wolf asked disbelievingly.

Eagle tapped his head, but before he could speak, Fox did. "Checking to make sure something's still in there?"

Not bothering to answer, Eagle sniffed and tilted his head up proudly. "Got something in your nose?" Fox asked with a look of mock innocence.

"I've said it in my head, thank you very much," Eagle said loudly over the others' voices.

Snake frowned and leaned over. "Voices in your head? No wonder you're the way you are…"

"My preciousss," Alex hissed. His voice was weak, but if the others could try to make him feel better, the least he could do was go along with it. He wasn't dead yet, and being miserable would just make the scientists happy, and Alex had decided long ago to make there life hell.

"I love that movie," Wolf murmured with a mock dreamy sigh.

"It's because of all the violence," Fox stage whispered to Alex. Alex nodded, and his neck stung from the movement. He wondered if the others were hurting as much as him.

Looking around the room, Alex spotted the small wince Eagle gave when he shifted, and how Yassen's lips tightened when he moved his arm. It wasn't only him that was in pain.

He felt a wave of compassion for them. Alex had to ask himself if he would've still managed to keep his sanity without them.

Eagle made him and the others laugh. Wolf was protective – and made him want to sit up and raise his chin when he felt like lying down and dying. Yassen was a mystery but a friend, Fox was a shoulder to lean on, and Snake knew how to keep them alive.

Alex wondered if he did anything to help the others.

Then, realizing he must have had a girly look of fondness on his face, Alex's nose crinkled.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yassen heard them first – the sound Alex had come to dread.

Guards around here were not light on their feet, and the heavy shoes just added to the pounding sounds they made with their feet. Alex clenched his fists with his nails digging into the skin. The scabs from the last time he had clenched his fists broke, and blood surged up around his growing fingernails.

It was terror that had him so still – he felt himself paling and lightheadedness overtook him.

Alex couldn't hold in the light moan as any strength he had left gave way. He felt himself slumping and closed his eyes as the room seemed to tilt.

Embarrassment was one of the many things on his mind when he heard startled voices. He couldn't find the strength in him to sit up, but someone brushed the hair out of his eyes and felt of his forehead.

Alex found that it was difficult to swallow. Water was trickling into his ears, and the feeling made him jerk in alarm. Drops of water splashed around his feet as his legs jerked, then hands were holding him down. Still, he managed to curl his legs, and his knees touched his chest.

The sound of a door opening almost escaped Alex, but he was well aware when the presence of others around him disappeared. His vision cleared just enough so he could see the K-Unit and Yassen being pulled out of the room.

"Let one of us stay, he's not well!"

"Do you really want him to die because you left him alone? He could choke on all that bloody water!"

Alex figured their protests must have been ignored as a door slammed shut. The voices faded away soon after.

Even with the state he was in, Alex managed to lift himself on a wobbly arm.

Glaring at the door, he crawled over to it. It was unlikely they had left it unlocked, but he had to check. Half way across the room, he collapsed. It was stubbornness that made him pick himself back up.

The little stones from the crumbling foundation tore into his skin. The water level was the length of his little finger now, and anywhere his palms touched, the water turned pink.

His hand with the bullet wound especially bled – the wound had reopened. Alex tried not to look at it as blood leaked through the pitiful bandage.

After it felt like several hours had past, but in truth it was only a few minutes, Alex reached the door. The handle was cool against his cuts. He rested it there, not wanting to put pressure on the knob and loose the pleasant feeling.

Clenching his teeth, Alex _did _put pressure on the door handle – but it did not budge as he tried to turn it.

Sighing about the wasted effort, Alex turned over with a groan and leaned on the wall. No one was here to hear him. Maybe he could shout obscenities about Sawyer and the rest of them while he was alone. It might make him feel better, but he'd much rather have them go through what he had.

He stared at the opposite wall for a time. The fact that water slowly trailed down the wall got passed him until he realized he was shivering.

It shouldn't have surprised him. The water had completely soaked his pants, and he had no shoes.

Not only was he cold, but Alex was constantly sniffing now. It annoyed him greatly, but he'd rather sniff like a pouting child than be caught with snot running down his face.

Feeling a little gross now, Alex wiped his nose self-consciously. Not that Sawyer or the others would care if he were snot nosed, wet eyed or even bleeding from severed limbs. In fact, Alex had no doubt they would get a sick satisfaction from it.

He fell asleep against the door as he waited for the return of his fellow captives. It was a little later on that the nightmares started to plague him.

_It was the same as last time, he was dying. Except now, Alex wasn't surprised or sad. He felt content in the knowledge that he didn't have to suffer. __The only regret was that he hadn't been able to save the others. __He felt footsteps coming towards him. The hope he might have felt during the early days of his imprisonment was no longer there. Surprisingly enough, the dread was not their either. _

_He could hear familiar voices, so close, so real, and so horrifying to hear. _

The drive of the door opening pushed Alex to the ground. He was jerked from his dream by the force of reality.

The footsteps he had heard in his dreams were actually _real. _"Sleeping in front of the door Rider?" The amused voice belonged to Jerry, a guard Alex had not seen in a while.

The reunion was not welcome.

"The pillows on my bed aren't fluffed. How do you expect me to sleep on the bed without fluffed pillows?" Alex asked sarcastically as he leant the side of his face against the wall.

By now, after everything that had happened, he no longer cared that his torturers were in the same room. No more standing up with his head held high. Alex knew he would have stood if he could, but at the moment it was surprising he could keep his eyes open.

They seemed heavy and the guard's torch hurt his eyes. He didn't even know why they had it – there was light in the room. The light was supplied by a single bulb surrounded by cobwebs.

Alex could tell the others were talking, then he heard someone speak and he knew the voice. The familiarity, (even though he wished he'd never met the man) made his voice seem clearer then the others.

The fear and disgust the voice also provoked in Alex may have helped the words get through his foggy head.

"The others are coming – force him on his feet," Sawyer said.

Rough hands brought Alex to his feet. His eyes closed as he leaned heavily on the wall.

Alex's legs wobbled and he found himself kneeling on the floor, confusion written on his face.

How had he landed here? He looked drowsily at the wall on which he had slid down. There was a line of blood on the wall, and blood on his arm smeared onto the dirty stone. Alex stared at it.

He heard someone sigh in irritation. "You – pick him up, we don't have time for this."

Someone that sounded like Trey interrupted. "His arm's broke, put up a fight. Get this

one to do it."

"What's wrong with him?"

"The brat could be faking, Gove."

"He looks half dead; can't we just leave him here?"

All these voices and more seemed to blend together.

Alex felt slight embarrassment – he knew what was going on, but felt half asleep. It was not his fault anyway, as he had not wanted this, and he'd been forced into what he was now. And what he was, was a weak, hurt, heavy lidded boy.

He rightfully blamed the scientists for it all.

Careful but strong hands lifted him to his feet, and then an arm slipped under his knees and lifted him. The movement was unexpected and Alex gasped quietly while grasping for something to hold onto.

"I am not going to drop you, Alex," Yassen murmured comfortingly into his ear.

Alex couldn't find the strength to answer the man, but someone how his hand managed to clutch at Yassen's shirt. Alex believed Yassen, but he knew he wasn't exactly lightweight.

A wave of dizziness came over him as Yassen hefted him up into a position easier to

carry.

He tried to muffle a groan of discomfort. "Sorry," he muttered to Yassen as the man looked down at him. He could see the concern, almost hidden, as the man tried to keep a calm face around their captors.

Alex wanted to say more. Instead, he buried his face in Yassen's shoulder as they walked down the halls.

"Where are we going?" Eagle asked. His voice sounded hoarse. Alex wished he could see the man. Hopefully, he was not too badly hurt, but he doubted they had come back with minor injuries.

No one answered his question and after that, Eagle didn't ask anymore.

Alex knew where they were going when he felt himself being bounced slightly. The motion was caused by Yassen going up the stairs – the same stairs he had went up not a day before.

"I've been here before," Alex murmured. "We're leaving." His voice just loud enough so Yassen could hear.

He had not been able to tell the others of what he had found. And now, now it seemed they were going to witness it.

Now, Alex would see what the Russian guard had been guarding. He lay his head on Yassen's shoulder at a tilt – there was no way he was going to miss this.

**Authors Note: **See...I'm not dead. I've just been busy, the other chapter is half written, I'll get on with it. Thank you for the patience, and if you see a mistake, don't hesitate to point it out! I'm not going to bite, I'll thank you in fact, :)


	14. Chapter 14: Fighting Amongst Themselves

Reaching the top seemed to take an incredibly short time. At least, if you compared it to what Alex remembered from the first time he had climbed the staircase. For him it had taken a while just to get _halfway_ up because he had been so tired at the time.

Alex was till tired, but he had to stay alert.

He tried to count the stairs, but the jostling he received from Yassen carrying him made it impossible. Instead, he tried to hold back sounds of pain--if not for himself, then for Yassen's sake.

There was no way he could walk to the top by himself, and that was exactly what Sawyer or one of the other guards would make him do should he complain.

Alex's mind wandered while fighting back against the blackness of unconsciousness.

Where were they going? Leaving this hell hole for good; was what Alex hoped for, but at the same time he dreaded leaving.

MI6 might be closer to finding them, and if they moved it would just make it harder for them. Alex couldn't imagine spending anymore time in the cold, damp, and rather small cell.

He'd been to places during his captivity where there were lights and warmth, why couldn't they just move them there? Not that he was complaining of course.

Alex could already feel some of the warm air he'd felt last time climbing these stairs.

Yassen's body heat was keeping his left side warm, but the rest of his body felt numb with cold.

Alex clenched his left hand. The fingers lacked feeling. His right was rather useless, like a deadweight more then a help. Alex was scared to look at it. Therefore, he kept his right arm slung around Yassen's shoulders.

Glances were directed at him by Trey and another man, Alex thought his name was Clark. Trey and Clark were ahead of everyone else, and Clark's nose was crooked and red. Alex faintly remembered breaking someone's nose when he was first captured.

The glares he got from the man were vicious and Alex barely refrained from glaring back.

At the top of the crumbling stairs, Alex heard someone muttering as they opened the door. They entered the room where the cursing Russian had been before Alex had shot him.

He could remember vividly the screaming man before Alex knocked him unconscious, then came the painful memory of something hitting his head.

He bit his lip as his hand twitched against his will. The nerves in it were damaged, he seemed to have lost some control over it. Sawyer had certainly gotten him back for their previous encounter. Alex knew that right now Sawyer was just a few people away from him.

No doubt thinking of what he could do to Alex once he was proclaimed 'healthy' enough to restart the torture sessions.

The room with the Russian was empty now. That revelation came as a surprise to Alex. To not have a guard over the _only_ exit and entrance was rather dim witted of them--unless this wasn't what Alex thought it was.

Doubt and curiosity made him try to make Yassen let him down. Alex wanted to see this standing on his own two feet--whatever 'this' was.

"Put me down, I can walk on my own now, I feel better," Alex said quietly as he struggled against Yassen's hold.

Yassen raised an eyebrow in doubt, but hesitantly put Alex on his own two feet.

Conscious of the hand on his arm, Alex clenched his teeth but let it stay. If that was what it took to keep Yassen satisfied he was not going to fall, so be it.

Sawyer stepped ahead of them and looked around the room. He looked like--well like he'd fallen down a flight of stairs.

"Remind me not to mess with you," Eagle whispered in Alex's ear.

Unfortunately, Sawyer heard and his shoulders stiffened. "Separate them," he snapped.

The guards did just that. Yassen's helping hand was wrenched away from Alex. Trying to keep his balance, Alex leaned on the wall. His right hand pressed into his side where it throbbed in time with his heartbeat.

"I'll take this one," Sawyer said as he glared at Alex. His face was purple in some places with bruises, he limped when he walked and seemed pained in every movement.

This made Alex very pleased. What did not please him, was the cruel look in Sawyer's eyes as he said those four, innocent words.

K Unit and Yassen were also looking suspicious, wary, and in Fox's and Wolf's case, angry.

Sawyer grabbed Alex by his arms, and turned him so his back was pressed against his chest.

Then…a blindfold makes Alex freeze and stop his half hearted struggles. A blindfold? He wasn't going to get to see anything then, wonderful. The only thing that kept him from feeling totally depressed, was the realization that he'd be able to see where they had been held.

If nothing else Alex would be able to see more of the complex, perhaps even figure out on what part of the globe they were on.

And now even that had been taken away from him.

His hands were tied behind his back like so many times before. Alex tried to keep his hands stiff and slightly apart. If he did this, then when he relaxed his hands he might have enough room to loose the bonds that bound him.

Sawyer chuckled behind him and tied the rope tight enough to cut off his circulation.

"Now, now, none of that Alex," he muttered from behind.

Feeling irritated at being caught, Alex shook his roughly and in the process messed up the knot Sawyer was trying to make.

He didn't expect the man to knock his legs out from under him.

The impact of his knees hitting the hard stone made him gasp. Pain shot through his legs and without his hands to hold him up; Alex fell on his face.

Sawyer quickly tied the last knot before using it to pull Alex back to his feet. Alex's nose was bleeding but he was sure it was not broken.

Trying to wipe the blood away from his mouth was useless, Alex only managed to hurt himself and make Sawyer laugh at his useless efforts.

Behind them, Alex heard one man speaking to another. "--walk? They're heavy, I don't want to carry them."

"No, we have to knock them out," the other man said. Alex realized that this man was Pearson, the scientist who had given him the shot. The next second, a needle pierced his skin.

Alex gasped in surprise as his legs gave out. His eyes closed and he felt Sawyer throwing him other his shoulder as he passed out.

…………………….

Alex awoke to the sounds of raised voices.

"--then why don't _you _get out of this place oh marvelous one!" Wolf's irritated, and very loud voice seemed to make Alex's head pound.

He was lying on the ground in a sideways position, his back to the arguing men. At least the floor was dry this time. The last time he had woken up, the floor had been covered with nasty water.

At least this one was clean. The grey brick under his face, which he didn't have to turn his head much to see, looked new and undamaged.

"While I appreciate the compliment, please do us both a favor and shut up," Yassen said smoothly.

There was a pregnant pause. Alex looked over his shoulder, the movement jarring the bones in his back. The quiet was too weird, and he was alarmed by how Yassen and Wolf could have gone from yelling, to a peaceful nothingness. He rolled onto his back to stop his neck from aching so--just in time to see Wolf drive his fist into Yassen's jaw.

The force of the punch made Yassen take a step back, a bit of blood ran down his chin from a split lip as Alex watched dazedly. Then, Yassen threw himself onto Wolf with an angry hiss. Alex never got the chance to yell at them for they fell over his legs and onto the floor.

Never seeming to notice that they were causing Alex great pain, and that he was more or less screaming through clenched teeth, they continued to fight.

Alex sat up abruptly as the feeling of his legs being crushed became too much. "Get the hell off me!"

Sadly, Alex sitting up put him in the path of Yassens's clenched fist.

Head ringing from the punch, Alex was torn between lying down, and punching Yassen back. Coincidentally, as soon as his fist ran into the wrong person, both Yassen and Wolf stood up.

Yassen let loose a sigh and kneeled down guiltily next to Alex. Meanwhile Alex, just wanting to go back to sleep and make the pains throughout his body stop, laid back down on the cement floor.

"Sorry," Wolf said. Alex opened an eye to glare at the man for he didn't _sound _sorry. Instead, he sounded reluctant to speak and grumpy.

Yassen didn't say a thing, per normal. But, his stiff jaw and narrowed eyes made Alex curious as to what had happened between him and Wolf. The blond assassin was anything but temperamental. Yassen actually _fighting _like a out of control kid, surprised Alex more then if Sawyer had ran into the room singing _I feel pretty_.

"What was that about?" Alex asked closing his eyes again.

"Sawyer separated us," Yassen said and ignored the question.

"Probably figured out that you would kill each other and they wouldn't have to do one freaking thing!" Alex snapped back at the frowning man. His headache was worse, and some damaged part of his brain said 'scream at the idiots, then you'll feel _all _better!'

"Or maybe," Wolf started to say, "_maybe_…maybe your right."

There was a quiet as Alex sat up, tried to ignore the dizziness, and stared at Wolf. "Excuse me?"

Sighing, Wolf rubbed a hand over his growing, bristle of a beard. "Maybe your right. Sorry Cub, we're not going to get anywhere by fighting." He looked at Yassen warily.

Yassen nodded but did not seem inclined to say more and Alex rolled his eyes at the man.

"So, where are we?" Alex asked. He moved his head slowly to examine the cell. It was…nice, as far as cells go. There was actual bars this time, instead of them being shut up in a small room.

No cobwebs, dirt or dead animal carcasses. Outside the cell there was a hall. Alex couldn't hear anyone or anything and he only thing he could see without going over to the bars, was the opposite wall.

"Why do you think they moved us?" Wolf asked them.

"This is probably a hopeful guess, but perhaps their location had been exposed?" Yassen said with a small shrug that he winced at a moment later.

"If I had thought of that, I might have fought against them more," Wolf muttered.

"Kind of hard to do when you're so outnumbered," Alex said rubbed the new bump on his head that he had gained.

Wolf made no comment. Instead he sat down and glared out of the cell. Alex's stomach was doing odd things. He prayed it didn't start grumbling. Yassen might not take to teasing him, but Wolf certainly would not miss a chance to take a jibe at him.

Closing his eyes again, Alex tried to sleep some before their torturers came back.

Should they took him for another friendly 'talk', he would be in no shape to sleep afterwards…unless the sleep was a coma induced unconsciousness.

**Authors Note: **Got any ideas about what subjects Alex, Wolf and Yassen should talk about? I'm open to every idea! I've made a challenge for myself (and anyone who wants to join, I mention it on my profile). I have to get this story done before the end of March and another story I started recently that is a AR story (It was supposed to be done before February the twenty-eighth, but it keeps growing and it's not posted yet) I think I may have gone too far this time with the Alex Rider story I'm writing, it seems you guys _can _take tortured characters…but can you take--nope, I can't tell you yet. **But** members of my yahoo group will get the first chapter at least a half a week before it is posted on this about the smallness of this chapter, I'll get started on the other one soon**. A note to Foreverwolf: **Hope you get to see this! I wanted to reply sooner, but there was no e-mail in the review. Thank you for your reviews, they were helpful critical and yet didn't get me down. Yes, Choice is a Misconception has a lot of mistakes, I'm aware of that, I just haven't gotten around to proofreading it (where's the fun in that when there is dark material to write? Heehee). I actually had a beta helping with Choice as she helped with my HP stories, but I had to share her with ten other people. I think she was half-hearted at the job. So, I've given up on beta's for most stories (Faint Hearted still has Nyxelestia's help, (she's a great author, anybody reading this should check out her stories) but she's disappeared for over a week and I was feeling guilty about not posting). So any mistakes are mine but if you could point them out with a patient smile, I'll fix them and send you cookies! My goodness, the AN is almost as long as the chapter! Sorry 'bout that, I don't deserve you guys, :( I was responding to reviews and it makes me all cheerful. I think I could serve as a lightbulb for my entire city, that's how glowy I am, lol. *Goes off to write*. Scorp


	15. Chapter 15: Companionable Silence

They took him out of the cell, and away from Wolf and Yassen while he was sleeping. Afterward, Alex would realize how tired he must have been to sleep through the entire treatment.

Alex awoke on a cot made from two rough cotton sheets, a thin blanket and something thicker that was acting as a mattress. He could still feel the hard floor, but this was the closest to a bed he'd had in a while. Something tickled his nose and he sniffed. Alex could smell sweat and food but it was barely noticeable.

An itchy sheet laid over his nose and he tried to dislodge it without moving. His back was incredibly sore, and the skin over his ribs felt stretched.

Carefully but with an unhealthy amount of curiosity, he moved his un-damaged hand under the blanket. The wool blanket was the object causing his nose discomfort. However, he was more interested in the state of his injuries.

He had not been tortured again, and the pain from his previous injuries was not as bad as he remembered. Alex's lips felt numb, causing him to wonder if he had been forced to drink a pain reliever while unconscious. He didn't remember waking once since he had fallen asleep.

Fingertips ran over a bandage that covered his previously broken ribs. It did hurt at his gentle touch, Alex kept his eyes closed and pressed harder on the thin bandage.

He could feel the edges of something underneath the protective covering. Not wanting to cause an infection by quelling his curiosity and taking of the bandage, he decided to not pry any further and turn his attention to something else.

Lifting his right hand, he found it was heavy with a cover of white gauze. The bandage had to be the cleanest thing he'd seen in ages. Even his skin had been turned a dirty gray color from the grime….

Alex's eyes widened as he examined his wrist. It wasn't grimy, it was pale but not a trace of dirt could be found. He pulled the sleeve back on his jumper to see the rest of his arm--but where had the jumper came from? It was a deep red and warm against his chilled skin.

He was starting to feel very confused. He was not hurting too much, a little dizzy and he felt slightly irritated--but he was clean and warm and…fine.

Then the answer it hit him like a herd of cattle.

"Oh, bloody hell, I'm dead!"

His amazed announcement was met by quiet laughter about the same time he was becoming disappointed that even in death, he still felt the smallest twinge in his neck. Turning his head slightly, he saw Wolf guffawing at his alarmed expression.

"You're the ugliest angel I've ever seen," he said to shut the man up.

Wolf stopped laughing so quickly that Alex's face split into a wry grin.

"I could stay something mean here…but I'm too nice," Wolf said back and went over to a small table that sat in the corner of the cell. "You fell unconscious--a long time ago. Took you long enough to wake up. It's been hours since they returned you to my _loving care_ as they called it, which means they obviously don't know me very well as you drooled puddles onto your pillow, and I didn't try to stop you from drowning in it once! In fact--I laughed!"

Alex wiped his mouth self consciously and looked worriedly at the strangely chatty Wolf. "You're a weird little man."

Wolf didn't respond besides the slight twitching of his mouth.

"I think they drugged you," Wolf said. "It would explain why you look kind of like you're having an out of body experience, and why you aren't moaning from pain."

Ignoring him, Alex sat up on his makeshift bed a looked around the cell. There was a pitcher on the table along with a few bowls, plates and glasses. "Where did those come from?"

"I guess this is there admission of guilt for not healing you until you stopped breathing," Wolf said in an odd tone. Alex snorted then examined Wolf, he seemed alert and jerky and very suspicious.

"What?"

"You stopped breathing a few times after you fell asleep, they took you away when they brought food and did come back for a day--I guess it was a day, hard to tell with no sun or clocks…not even a bloody sundial."

"Er…where's Yassen?" Alex had not noticed the man missing until he looked around the room.

"They took him away a while after you were dragged out of here," Wolf replied. He paused to stare out the bars of the cell, then brought a plate over to Alex's side. Setting it on Alex's stomach, Wolf stared at him and waited.

Staring slack jawed at the contents of the plate, Alex looked up at Wolf. "I know, they must not want you dead after all," Wolf said.

There was a small bowl of chicken broth, toast and a large portion of vegetables on the plate. Alex hadn't seen so much color in his food since before he'd arrived in this hell.

"I feel like a pig being fattened up before the slaughter," he muttered but could not deny that he was hungry.

Wolf helped him sit up in silence. Since he was feeling rather odd though, he took small bites of his toast and sips of water before trying anything heavier. Alex didn't want to waste rare food just because he couldn't keep it down. Should he become sick, he would let Wolf have the broth and vegetables.

_As long as I'm not sick __**on**__ the broth and vegetables_, Alex thought as his stomach twisted in discomfort. Aware of Wolf watching from a distance, he carefully pushed the plate away and laid back down.

"You want me to put it up? The broth won't be warm, but you can have it later," Wolf said. Alex took slow breaths and made sure his mouth wasn't filling with salt before slowly speaking. "No, that's alright, I'll try again in a minute."

"Wolf?"

"Yes, Cub?"

"Do you know…what they did to me?"

Wolf moved over to Alex and sat near his feet. The sheet bed had been made next to the wall and Wolf leaned against it as he gathered his thoughts.

"Well, the fracture just slightly showed through your skin, but it was serious enough so that it had to be stitched up. I glimpsed underneath the bandage…and you don't want to see that If you're planning on eating more. I think they gave you some blood, because now you aren't the deadly pale you were before. You're breathing is back to normal, and they must have heat connected to this room somehow because it got warmer in here after you left.

"Your back has this clear stuff over the cute, like a liquid Band-Aid. I think it's to help them heal, it looked like some of the scabs had come of prematurely." Wolf glanced at Alex who was eyeing him.

"You looked me over like a new born baby," Alex said indignantly.

Wolf blinked and laughed loudly. "I glanced at the parts of you I knew were in bad shape so I could see if they had treated them. Trust me Cub, I didn't see near as much as whoever gave you a bath!"

Alex fought back a slight feeling of embarrassment. "At least I'mclean, while _you _on the other hand have fleas mating in your hair!"

Wolf laughed harder but furiously started raking hands through his matted hair. "That's…just nasty!" he panted out smiling all the while.

Alex smiled innocently in the perfect imitation of a rather old cherub. "What's nasty Wolf? Fleas mating, or the fact that they are making babies in your hair, and probably in your ears, as we speak?"

The lukewarm broth was shoved in Alex's hand as he chuckled rather gleefully--and painfully, although he didn't want to think of that now.

He watched with broth in hand as Wolf gripped the sheet with one hand and tried to pull a piece off. Alex came as close to giggling as any male could without sounding stupid as he watched Wolf's useless attempt.

"This is," Wolf grunted and pulled awkwardly at the fabric, "so much harder than in appears in the films!"

"That's because under all that macho, you're a softy!" Wolf shot Alex a terrifying glare for that comment, but it only preceded to made Alex smirk.

Wolf left the sheet alone and stalked to the water pitcher, then tried rather unsuccessfully to wash his hair with one hand. Alex sipped from his broth bowl and watched with amusement in his eyes.

His rather happy moment didn't last long enough. They both looked up at the cell bars as footsteps approached them. Wolf's hair was hanging and dripping onto his face. He put the pitcher down and moved over to Alex's side.

Wolf's hand, Alex noted as the man stopped him from sitting up, had dirt and blood underneath the fingernails. He then felt rather guilty for teasing Wolf about his cleanliness.

As they watched in cautious curiosity, two guards came down the hall. In between them they dragged Yassen.

Behind them Sawyer walked at a slower pace with two other men that were carrying what Alex hoped was more water and food. It looked like Yassen needed some warm food more than himself at the moment.

Unlocking the door with one hand, the first two guards pulled Yassen into the cell and then left.

Wolf and Alex stayed in their corner watching Sawyer and the others (who Alex recognized as Clark and Trey) come into the cell.

Sawyer shut the cell door once the Trey had entered and then locked it with his own key. The two guards laden with food and water set their burden on the table. The small table creaked under the weight and Clark eyed it.

Trey's eye's met Sawyer's. Sawyer nodded and Trey came toward Wolf and Alex. Grabbing Wolf by the arm he pulled and pushed him roughly toward the other side of the room and away from Alex.

Sitting up and ignoring that Wolf hadn't wanted him to move, Alex shoved the sheets aside and stood. The floor was cold on his bare feet as he watched Wolf and Sawyer. The two guards had Wolf blocked into the corner.

Alex met his eyes over one of the Trey's shoulders. He didn't want Wolf to do anything foolish just because Sawyer was playing a little game.

Sawyer smiled like a cat that had caught a fat mouse. He had a light limp, and his smile was strained. But his eyes were bright with the delight of seeing Alex squirm and worry about his intentions.

Setting his feet slightly apart in a defensive stance, Alex watched as Sawyer came to stop in front of him. His knees were feeling unusually , he hoped it didn't show.

"You're not dead."

"Well, duh," Alex replied. He felt a bit--not there, but he blamed it on the pain killers and if it wasn't for them he probably wouldn't have managed to stand. Even now his knees trembled and felt rather weak.

Eyes narrowing at Alex's sarcasm, Sawyer pushed him back so he was now standing on his sheet bed. Sawyer looked down at the sheets underneath Alex's feet and smirked at his pathetic 'bed'.

"They told your heart stopped beating…and yet here you are." There was sound of dislike in Sawyers voice. He seemed more so curious.

"You can't get rid of me so easily, I'm like a cockroach," Alex said cheerfully.

Sawyer smiled, and Alex's grin tilted a bit. For whenever Sawyer smiles, a puppy dies.

He barely had tome to think that before Sawyer was slamming him into the wall. Alex heard the sounds of a struggle through his gasp of pain.

"Why won't you just die?" An insane gleam had entered Sawyer's eyes and Alex found himself grimly determined. The man wanted him afraid, he was used to causing people fear and death--Alex would not give him the satisfaction.

"Tell me what it is that keeps you living. Tell me what it is that keeps you from giving up, _tell me _what you cherish most, so that I may have the joy of taking it from you," the words of hate were whispered into Alex's ear. Alex turned is face away from the putrid breath.

The man hated him with obvious reasons. Sawyer's limp didn't seem the kind to go away, he was permanently injured in more ways than one…but so was Alex.

Sawyer was a proud man, and he had been reduced to something vile and mockable in the eyes of those who had once feared him.

Taking a silent, deep breath, Alex turned his head to look Sawyer in the eye. He was serious now, and he looked it.

"I'll continue to live, breath and fight everyday of my miserable life, _because…_I knowit annoys the hell out of you," Alex said. Then he smiled a smile meant to frustrate.

Sawyer drew back and then Alex saw his raised hand--but before it could hit him, someone grasped Sawyer's wrist.

Turning in anger, Sawyer stared at Clark.

"Sir, we were told not to harm them…especially not him," Clark said firmly. However, Alex saw his watery blue eyes jerking away from Sawyer's face in anxiousness.

Sawyer hadn't lost complete control over everyone.

Releasing Sawyer's wrist, Clark stepped back to his place beside the Wolf and the other guard. Sawyer looked at Alex sideways, his eyes darting back and forth between him and the guard. He turned to Alex and harshly whispered, "Clark won't be around forever."

Walking jerkily out of the room, Sawyer snapped a command at Trey and Clark. They quickly followed after him barely stopping to lock the cell back.

While Alex collapsed on the bed, Wolf went to Yassen's side. The assassin was lying face down on the floor, his shirt was ripped and there was blood in his hair. Alex wanted to check on him, offer whatever help he could to Wolf, but he could barely move.

Acting strong took a lot of a person.

"How bad is it?"

Wolf carefully turned Yassen onto his back and Alex almost wished he had left him on his stomach. His chest was covered with cuts, Alex could tell even with the white shirt left on. Red lines of blood criss crossed over the fabric, some had dried to a burgundy.

Wolf looked over at Alex, and he threw a sheet over to him. If not for bandages, now Wolf could bundle it under Yassen's head so he did not get bruises from the hard floor.

Biting his lip, but feeling like he needed to help Yassen in some way, Alex took a breath and managed to stumble over to them. His legs still felt numb, like they had fallen asleep.

Wolf looked askance of him as Alex kneeled next to Yassen's head. Shrugging Alex picked up the sheet for emphases and said, "You remember how much trouble you had trying to tear this earlier?"

Giving Wolf a closed mouth smile, Alex preceded to slowly and surely rip the rattier sheet to strips. "That's a weaker sheet," Wolf mumbled and opened Yassen's shirt.

Looking at the wounds, and the bruises forming randomly on Yassen's chest, Alex decided the cut marks had not been made with a whip, unlike his own.

"A knife?" His question was met with a nod and Alex looked over at the water pitcher. The cuts needed to be cleaned or an infection would be liable to occur. However, he had barely made it half way across the room, he looked at Wolf but the man was busy mopping up blood.

Biting his lip, Alex went to get the pitcher. He made it a third way to the table before his legs gave out. Rubbing his knee he had fallen on, Alex felt very frail. Wolf made him feel even more puny by putting his hands under his arms and dragging him back beside Yassen.

"You know you're injured, be glad I didn't put you back in the bed," Wolf grumbled when he saw Alex's put out expression.

"I want to help."

Wolf fetched the pitcher and handed it to Alex. "Fine, clean the wounds so I can bandage them. The bleeding should stop soon, these three cuts here are just persistent."

Alex wet the strips and tried to clean the dried blood off the wounds. He winced in sympathy as the wound re-opened and started bleeding more. "Sorry," he whispered to Yassen even though he doubted the man could hear. From then on he was careful not to rub too hard on the cuts.

When all the red was gone from Yassen's chest, the injuries looked less severe but still very painful. Finally finished doing all they could for their team mate, Wolf unexpectedly hefted Alex back onto his feet and took him to his side of the room.

Knowing that Wolf only had good intentions, Alex swallowed his protests and found himself on his messy 'bed'. "Whatever they gave you to ease the pain is going to wear off you know, and when it does you'll be really sorry you ever moved. I'm amazed they're even giving you time to heal--don't you dare take it for granted."

Alex grinned at him sheepishly. He was feeling a bit ashamed for causing Wolf more worry and exasperation, but Yassen and Wolf had helped him--he wanted to help them back, even if it meant risking himself more pain. Alex could still feel remnants of pain in his feet, and his hands were starts to tingle as the drugs wore off, but most of his body was numb.

They sat next to each other on the half-heartedly made sheet bed. Keeping an eye on Yassen, they ate the soup that had been brought to them in a pot with a lid to keep the heat in. Steam came off the soup like a wispy cloud and Alex was extremely glad to have hot food.

They sat in companionable silence as they waited for Yassen to wake. At least, they were companionable enough--until Wolf started asking questions.

**Authors Note: We've **_**almost **_**made a thousand stories! **The entire AR fandom should have a party when we do. With butterbeer and jalapeño Cheetos (which I'll provide,) or salt and vinegar potato chips! …I want a butterbeer, stupid fiction books with their fiction food. **Surprised about the update? **I was so utterly happy! It snowed Sunday and we don't usually get a lot of snow. There are snow cats (which is just a snowman with cat ears and whiskers) all over the yard.

I had to make up for the lateness of the last chapter and the way it was written. No more torture for a while (at least not on Alex) and I'm sorry that the last chapter disappointed a few, I was disappointed in the chapter when I posted it, it is one of those things where you can tell it's not great but you don't know how to make it better. To try and make it up to you, I'm going to use as many what-should-they-talk-about suggestions as possible.

I really enjoyed reading those, I should ask questions more often. If you would like teasers of chapters, **complete **first chapters of new stories before they are posted, story challenges, polls, or a cool avatars, check out my yahoo group that I mention in my profile! Thanks so much for the reviews and comments! What do you think Yassen will tell them when he wakes? Or better yet, just what kind of question would YOU like to see Wolf ask Alex? Please review!


	16. Chapter 16: 24 Questions

"So...what's your favorite colour?" The suddenness of the question made Alex jump. He tilted his head to try and ease some of the discomfort in his hardly ever changing position.

"Pink. Bright, neon pink."

"...Okay, next question," Wolf said quickly with a weird look toward a smirking Alex.

"Got a girlfriend?"

"You're really not my type Wolf." Alex gave an flustered and annoyed Wolf a pitying look, "No worries though, there are still plenty of men just as handsome as me out there! So don't let your little heart get broke just because of one person--I mean, there is still Eagle--"

Wolf cut him off, "Stop it right there you little brat, if you think that I--" Alex was too busy laughing his arse off to listen anymore. He didn't really_ want _to answer questions right now, if Wolf would not stop though, then Alex could at least have a little fun with him. As Alex regained his breath and gently laid his hand over his aching ribs and chest, Wolf un-crossed his arms and was quiet for a few moments.

"Who takes care of you?" The question sounded warily interested.

"Why?" Alex asked in return._ Perhaps he's missing his family,_ Alex thought.

Thoughts about Jack were enough to make him wonder if the K-Unit missed anyone in particular. He'd wanted to ask Eagle a few times if he was the youngest child in his family, as that would explain his sometimes immature attitude.

Alex regretted not asking while he had the chance, who knew when or _if _he'd ever see the rest of his unit again.

"Jones told me you were an orphan at Point Blanc, kind of surprised me, she's not one to give away personal information.…I was just wondering who you stay with."

Alex paused before answering, his hesitation seemed to make Wolf uncomfortable. "You don't have to tell me…."

"I stay with a woman named Jack. She's my guardian now."

"Oh. How do you know her?"

"Ian hired her as a housekeeper, since he was gone so much. She's more like a big sister than anything else, too young to be like a mum. She's American…I hope she's okay." Alex whispered the last words as he stared at the opposite wall and over Yassen's body.

"Do you have a lot of family?" Alex asked Wolf.

"Pretty big I guess, lots of aunts and uncles – none of my uncles worked for MI6 though," said Wolf, with a chuckle. "No, these uncles are your normal, slightly balding, rather amusing bunch, and my aunts are the cheek pinching kind."

Alex imagined Wolf's family quite easily. They had dark hair and knowing eyes. He imagined a short woman reaching up to pinch Wolf's cheeks and Alex giggled.

"Did you just…_giggle?_"

"Me? Never!"

"Sure…So, is that your real hair color?"

"…"

Alex stared at Wolf and held back a laugh. So this was Wolf when he was bored. Is _this _what he did when he had no one to beat up and no action, he asked questions about facial features?

"Is that your real nose?" Alex shot back. Wolf looked offended and Alex smirked, "And where did you get the boob job?"

"I get it! I'll shut up!"

Of course, that promise didn't last very long. Silence in such a place weighed heavy on a person and it wasn't long before Wolf cracked.

"Where do you go to school?"

Alex rolled his eyes, while secretly, he was glad the unnerving silence was broken. He was getting rather nervous.

Why were they being left alone? He was supposed to be tortured, not living in a want-to-be 'lap of luxury'. Wolf should be screaming in pain in a room where Alex couldn't reach him…Yassen should probably be dead…what was going on?

"Cub?"

Jolting slightly, Alex sat up straight and bit one of his nails before he spoke. "I did go to Brookland, but I doubt I'll go back there."

"Why?"

"Too many rumors. Most of my friends drifted off after hearing some bad stuff about me."

"Don't sound like good friends. You didn't need them anyway." Wolf getting huffy about Alex's story was almost – Alex shuddered – sweet.

He was seconds away from teasing the man who was already looking a little embarrassed for speaking up in Alex's defense. Right before he spoke, Alex thought of how Wolf was in a pretty good mood and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin it.

He stopped himself from any teasing.

"It's not so bad, I still have Tom."

"Tom…is who exactly?"

"Best friend." Alex hesitated, "Tom kind of, er, knows that I'm working for MI6, that's probably why he sticks around. He knows the truth, knows I'm not a drug addict," Alex finished in a mutter.

"What does MI6 say about this? Surely he's under a silence pact or something."

"I don't think they know, probably best that way. I don't want them messing with Tom."

Wolf nodded. His eyes were darkened in understanding and he looked grimmer than usual. "Getting into business with MI6, especially spying get's a lot of people in danger."

Alex stared at him. Wolf seemed to be speaking from personal experience. Feeling tempted to ask, but not wanting to make Wolf uncomfortable, Alex kept silent.

"What are you going to do when you get out of here?"

The question surprised him. Alex had not thought hard about escaping, after the week or two they had been here he was busy trying to stay alive…also, he didn't want to get his hopes up. Thinking too long and hard about his future after captivity seemed foolish.

He wasn't sure he would escape. Alex thought about his answer for a while. "I'm going to move," he said quietly. The small amount of remaining broth chilled, as it had been forgotten.

Wolf frowned, the answer seemed to surprise him. "Why?"

Pulling his knees up carefully, with his injuries, Alex leaned against the wall and let his head roll to the side so that he was staring out the cell. "MI6 is never going to let me be. I think I've recently discovered this. I've been…blessed, I guess, with being alive, and even that could be argued considering I'm in a cell. The situations I've been in…I'm tired of it, Wolf."

Knowing that he wasn't done, Wolf just quietly listened.

"I want Jack to be safe – she's stuck with me so long….maybe I can get MI6 to convince her I'm dead. Then she wouldn't have to worry anymore. She could go back home, be with her parents and family. She has a new niece back in America, but she was busy with me so she hasn't yet seen her. I know she misses them…I feel like I'm burdening her sometimes," Alex drifted off.

Wolf sighed beside him, they were close enough so that Alex could feel him shifting. "You know, she would have left you already if she didn't have her reasons. I've heard enough to know she sounds decent enough. In fact, I bet she'd feel real bad if she knew you thought you were a burden."

"But Wolf," Alex said, then thought better of it. "…forget it. I just want to move far away from MI6 headquarters, somewhere they can't find me. I'll find a job that pays well, no one will bother me."

"That might be harder then you think--"

"I'll make it!" Alex snapped and sat up rigidly. "Anything's better than being used by them. Being put in situations where I almost die _every fucking time!_ They don't even care! They blackmailed me, did you know it? Said they'd put me in an orphanage and send Jack back to America if I didn't work for them. I'm sick of it Wolf! Sick of it!" His agitated words and action had him screaming before he realized it. Alex gasped in breath as he tried to calm down.

Being so worked up and nowhere near healed, he started coughing violently. The wracking coughs had him bent over, one hand over his mouth while the other held his chest.

When he settled down and his gasping breaths had quieted, Wolf stood from the bed and pushed him onto his back. Not saying a thing, Wolf pulled the ratty sheets up to Alex chest and settled the blanket onto his shivering form. Alex avoided his eyes. He knew he'd made a scene, but didn't feel sorry for it.

As his brown eyes studied the brick with resigned tiredness, Wolf did something surprising and laid his hand on Alex's head. Wolf removed his hand as soon as Alex met his eyes.

"If you don't find anywhere else to go, you can come live with me," Wolf said quietly.

The offer made Alex blink in surprise. Wolf nodded at him and moved out of his line of sight. Had Wolf, the man that had once been so aggressive and irritating towards him, actually just offered him home to _him_ – Alex Rider?

As confused as Alex was feeling, he couldn't deny that a home, even one with Wolf in it, sounded interesting. Hell, he could probably live in the vicinity of Yassen _and _Wolf as long as it was far away from here.

He wondered what Wolf's house was like. Alex was tempted to ask, but when he turned his head Wolf looked to be sleeping. Biting his lip to hold in his questions, Alex closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

………………………………............

A hacking cough woke Alex from what he thought had been a deep sleep. At first Alex thought that he was the one coughing, then he heard the gasping sound and knew it was coming from Yassen.

The lights that lit the hall were dim. This meant that the captives were expected to sleep while they could. Sitting up, Alex squinted at where Yassen had lay earlier. He could tell the man was not sitting up, fully. Yassen looked to be in a sideways position, with one arm holding him up as he coughed.

Biting his lip, Alex glanced over where Wolf was gently snoring. Alex didn't want to wake Wolf up, but he wasn't sure the man's wrath was worth getting out of bed. "Yassen," he said. "You want me to get you some water?"

He was hoping the man would say no, but if he agreed then at least Alex would have a reason for getting out of his warm bed. Yassen shook his head though and after a few minutes his breathing was back to normal.

Alex anxiously watched as Yassen stood. He swayed a bit and put a shaky hand on his head. After a moment of steadying himself, Yassen walked over to Alex and sat on the sheet made bed.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Yassen's voice was rasping.

"A while, maybe five hours…maybe longer, I can't be sure," Alex replied.

Rubbing his eyes, Yassen turned and studied Alex. "Do I know you?"

For one moment Alex's heart stopped. Amnesia? Perhaps they had hit Yassen's head against something? Then he saw the small smile and realized, with a great feeling of relief, that Yassen was talking about his clean appearance.

"You scared me, you git!" Alex exclaimed, and gave a nervous laugh. "Here I am thinking you've got amnesia or something." Yassen smiled humorously at him.

"I do not think I have seen you so clean since you decided you were going to get us out of here. Whatever happened to that plan?"

Alex shrugged. "It went away with my strength," he muttered.

Yassen pulled the blanket over his legs and looked around the room. "Get it back quick, would you?" Alex smiled half heartedly.

"I'm trying, trust me."

They waited for Wolf to awake. If the smell from the small bathroom in the corner of the cell drifted any closer, that would get him up quick. It wasn't too long before the lights in the hall went back to their brightness as a guard somewhere in the hall turned them back on.

"I wonder if Eagle and the rest of them can see that light," Alex said, gesturing to the light bulb that hung on the hallway right outside the cell.

Yassen shook his head. "I do not know. I imagine they are not too far away, but I did not see them when they took me."

Alex hesitated then asked what had been on his mind, "What did they want with you?"

Yassen laughed softly, "Do they need a reason?" No, they did not. Alex frowned because he knew that Yassen was right. They were captives, and _anything _could be done with them just because some weirdo wanted to.

"They actually did have a reason this time."

"What?" Alex asked.

Yassen nodded and seemed animated all of the sudden, he got of the bed and made his way over to Wolf and woke him up.

"They asked me about Scorpia's locations," Yassen said when Wolf was finally awake enough to listen.

Crinkling his eyebrows in thought, Wolf asked, "Why would then need to know that? I thought they were working together or something."

Yassen nodded and glanced out of the cell. He lowered his voice slightly. "I think they are having problems with Scorpia. Scorpia is a hard group to work with – if they do not like, you they will make your life hell before they kill you. Alex should know – we _all _should know – by now!"

"What do you think happened to make them mad at Scorpia?"

Yassen shrugged and sat back down next to Alex on the sheet bed. Wolf joined them after a moment's hesitation. He no longer seemed so cautious around Yassen…seeing someone injured so badly did that to a person.

There was a blood stain on the floor where Yassen had laid.

"I wish Fox was here," Wolf muttered. "He's good at this thinking stuff."

Yassen moved uncomfortably. "Snake would be useful, right about now," he said. Alex frowned and bit on his poor fingernail.

"You want me to, I don't know, change the bandages?" he asked.

Yassen shook his head and Alex sighed. "If Eagle was here we'd at least have someone to laugh at," he mumbled.

Wolf chuckled. "True, but don't let him hear you say that. He learned a mess load of pranks from his sister."

Alex snorted. "Where's he going to find something to prank me with in here?"

Wolf opened his mouth – and a gun shot rang out somewhere not too far from them.

**Authors Note: **Thank you Nyxelestia for your help, and I'm sorry about adding the top two questions at the last minute. You read reviews and I couldn't resist adding some of those wacky questions into the story.

I was going to post this earlier, but I'm babysitting (or I was, they were taken back home the other day) two kittens and Charles the Second, (who is a rather adorable, orange tabby--when he's not growling) sunk his nail deep into my finger (after chewing on it) and dragged it an inch or so across the skin even though I told him that my hand is not a toy, and no, I'm _NOT _edible. It's my typing finger at that. So anyhow, because of this, the next chapter is coming along slowly and I didn't want to get behind by posting early. I guess I really need to learn how to type like a normal person, haha. We reached **a thousand stories**! Weeeeeee! So, a party, eh?

Well, it won't be the same as a real party, but I set up a chat room. It could be cool if we get enough people, (and don't forget the Jell-O shooters, biscuits, chips/crisps and butterbeer, or some other drink for those people who care about their teeth, hehe.) We need a day that will be good for most everyone, and a time frame. We might need two parties for those in Australia and the UK.

Tell me if you liked the chapter! Check out the poll for an AR story title on my profile if you can. I need to know your opinion!


	17. Chapter 17: Twisted

Alex froze, with his fingernail still between his teeth. He had been unconsciously chewing on it while he thought. Wolf's mouth was still open, with the comment he never got to say on his tongue.

Yassen stared, unseeingly, at the hall, through the bars of the cell. The gun shot had came from a few corridors down. The sound was slightly muffled, but it had been loud enough that the sound still rang in Alex's ears.

Standing cautiously, Wolf moved toward the bars to try and see. Placing a hand on Alex's shoulder in a silent command to stay where he was, Yassen moved over to Wolf's side.

They looked at each before turning to stare down the right side of the hall.

"What do you think?" Wolf asked Yassen. The question was so low that Alex found himself leaning forward to hear the end of it.

"Perhaps a work man…." Yassen trailed off. Crossing his arms, he turned back around and started walking toward the wall. Wolf sighed and leaned his head against the bars. Alex eyed Yassen as he turned around and headed back the way he had come.

"How many other people here are captives, besides us?" Alex asked. "Do you think it's just us, or are there more people?"

He wanted reassurance that the bullet just shot had not killed a member of K Unit. Maybe it was wrong to wish that, but he was desperate. They needed each other's support. The loss of a friend could break them.

Looking at Yassen, Alex realized that the man knew exactly what he was thinking. "I'm sure there are others…."

Yassen trailed off. No one wanted to make false promises, just in case they were wrong.

………………………………...

It seemed like the longest day in their captivity so far. No one wanted to talk. All of them were at least a little worried for Fox, Snake and Eagle. The gunshot had come and gone so quickly, and they had not heard anything after that for hours.

Alex was half asleep, and his mind drifted sleepily to and fro. Thoughts of dead, familiar faces were at the top of his mind.

Then just as his eyelids were beginning to fall, a guard came trudging up the hall. All tiredness fleeing him, Alex sat bolt upright and waited for the figure to come into the light.

Around him, Wolf and Yassen were also watching alertly. The guard had a gun in one hand and a tray in the other. It was odd, the guards always came in two's, and they had not brought guns for a while. Alex felt trepidation curl in his gut. For a moment he was sure the guard had come to kill them – but bringing food for dead people would make no sense.

The guard clumsily opened the door. He was young in the face, with cheeks that were still round, and he appeared nervous. Alex had never seen him before. As the guard dropped the keys and jumped at the sound of them hitting the floor, Alex figured out why they had hid this man from sight.

Stumbling with his burden and the lock, the guard lowered the tray reluctantly to the floor. "B--bring the empty tray over. Don't forget the pitcher!"

Yassen and Wolf glanced at each other. Wolf was silently chosen to go over to the nervous guard. Another look exchanged between them decided if they would try to escape. Yassen tilted his head to the side and Alex caught on to their silent signals.

Should the chance come up, then they would try to run for it. The guard still had a gun. As clumsy as he may be, it was still a dangerous weapon and one false move could end up with one of them dead.

Wolf set the tray down and backed away from the door without being asked. No need to rile up the already nervous guard. Opening the cell door nervously, the guard exchanged the food tray.

"How," Alex suddenly started coughing violently and cut himself off. The guard froze and watched him anxiously. "How – are the others? They didn't shoot them did they?" Alex stopped talking and struggled to sit up.

"Are they dead?" Alex asked. The guard paused, he was thinking. Slowly he shook his head and Alex felt relief flood him.

"They're not dead." The words were reluctant. It was likely the guard would be in trouble if he was found telling information to the captives. Had he been any older, or been a guard for longer than he apparently was, there was no way they would now know what they now did.

Locking the cell door, the guard bustled out of the room with the dishes clanging noisily along with him. The fake cough had actually made Alex's throat ache, but it was worth it. He knew the rest of K Unit was alright.

"Nice acting, Cub," Wolf said. "I want make a joke about your latest school play right now…" Alex flinched and waited, but the words never came. "But you found out what we all wanted to know, well done…have a biscuit." Snorting, Alex lay back down.

"I wonder who was shot…or maybe they were just trying you use intimidation on us?"

"It kind of worked," Wolf mumbled. "We go and get alarmed like that and it stops us from thinking of more important things, like escaping, or preserving food and water because we never know when they'll feed us again." As he talked, Wolf studied the food that had been brought.

"We can eat the stuff that spoils easily first, and save the more well-preserved foods for later," Alex suggested.

"We have to eat half this shit now then," Wolf muttered and turned his back on Alex and Yassen as he ate. Yassen looked amused but did not add to the conversation.

Alex opened his mouth to ask what exactly had been brought to them – and that was when they heard Eagle protesting. In fiction, heavy set guards were infamous for their rough handling of captives. It seemed that was not far from the truth in real life.

The two guards dragged a filthy looking Eagle along with them and he fought half heartedly.

When Eagle caught sight of them, he stopped his vain struggles. Surprisingly, he seemed extremely relieved at the sight of them…or maybe it was not as strange as Alex thought. After all, they had thought that perhaps Eagle, Fox or Snake had been on the other side of that gun. Who was to say that Eagle had been thinking along the same lines about Alex, Wolf or Yassen?

The guards pushed him in without a backwards glance and Eagle scrambled into a standing position – just to fall over. Wolf caught his arm and was dragged down with Eagle.

"No calcium in this hell hole. My bones are just as weak as my muscles," Wolf spat as he helped his friend into a sitting position. Eagle was not looking at Wolf, but at Alex.

"Hey, kid," he greeted in a surprised, breathy voice.

"Eagle," Alex returned, with worry in his voice. "What's wrong?"

Letting loose a hysterical laugh, Eagle made to sit with Alex. "The last time I saw you, you weren't breathing! We all thought…you know…."

Alex did in fact know exactly what they thought. "I'm not done causing chaos Eagle. I won't leave until I kill the people in charge of putting us here."

"You won't die at all," Yassen interceded with narrowed eyes. "At least, you won't die here," he added. Alex looked away from him. He could not make a promise like that.

"I guess you heard the gun go off?" Alex asked Eagle, awkwardly. Yassen's eyes were still drilling into him.

Eagle nodded furiously. "I know who was shot too – Sawyer killed that guard Clark!"

"I'm not surprised. He had to use his violent streak on _someone_, since I'm now an untouchable," Alex said. He came close to shrugging, but scabs on his back stopped him…and he also didn't want to pull at the skin on his stomach, either.

"Why?" Yassen asked and they looked at him in confusion. "Why was he shot?" He asked, with faint annoyance.

"I don't know. It could just be because Sawyer is a complete idiot-"

"Very good point," Alex interjected with a grim smile. Eagle nodded and rolled his eyes, before continuing.

"But Fox and Snake think there is more to it, the guards have been acting weird. I haven't seen as many familiar faces, and the old guards seem more…closed mouth I guess you could say." Eagle suddenly perked up, "Is that food I smell?"

Wolf stood up and brought the tray over. "When did you eat last?"

"I'm not sure," Eagle said as he shoved half a loaf of bread into his mouth. _So much for preserving food, _Alex thought. "Dey popped 'edin us dwen you guys dent away."

"Multilingual as I might be, even I did not understand that," Yassen said.

Choking on his bread, Eagle had the entire pitcher of water shoved at him. He drank from it without pausing.

"I said-" Eagle began irritably, then cut himself off. "Well, never mind - they didn't feed us a lot. Instead they really started testing us and pumping us for information. They wanted to know about any MI6 headquarters that were not well known – but how the hell should I know that?! I'm an SAS soldier, not someone like Blunt or that smelly woman!"

Shifting upward, Alex let Yassen help him sit up, but damned himself for being so weak.

"They _are _working with Scorpia – right? Did I mishear them or what? Because you know what it sounds like?" Alex could not help but feel excited. Was the force against them really doing what he thought?

Wolf nodded, his eyes wide. "It sounds like there's some inner conflict – this could be great for us," he whispered the last words to them.

"Or it could be very bad," Yassen said. They looked at him. His expression was…blank, and his eyes were dead. Alex followed Yassen's eyes, which were looking away from the rest of them.

Sawyer stood outside the cage. With his arms crossed, his back straight and a half smile on his face… Sawyer looked more confident than Alex was comfortable with.

"Yes," he said, "This is very bad for you." Snapping his fingers in what Alex felt was a rather melodramatic action, Sawyer moved aside and two lumbering guards came to the cell.

"What's going on?" Eagle asked with frantic and angry eyes. The cell was unlocked, and a narrow-eyed Yassen was pulled forward roughly.

"Get the brat, as well!" Sawyer commanded and two more guards (who Alex recognized as Trey and Gove) came forward. Gove lifted him over one shoulder.

"Let me down, wanker! I can walk-"

"You'll injure him more! Is that what you want?" Wolf asked angrily.

"Quiet, or I'll have your Wolf man and the fool taken as well," Sawyer snapped. "Now go - and don't say another fuckin word!"

They did not speak. Alex was quite capable of imagining the things Sawyer could do to them, should they push him too far. None of them were pleasant – most ended with them dead or dying.

Once out of the cell, they turned left. This disappointed Alex, as he had hoped to see Fox and Snake, but he was sure they were held in a cell to the right. The two guards guiding Yassen, who were in front of Alex, turned down one hallway while Alex was pushed in the opposite direction.

Alex met Yassen's eyes once before they were nudged to keep walking.

Much to Alex's relief, (which he barely managed to hide) he was not taken to a cold cell away from the men who had slowly became friends. But to a room full of the men he had met so long ago, he noticed many of them and even remembered their names.

And then he was blindfolded.

They pushed and prodded him to lay his back onto a cold metal table. "If you fight us, we will use your companions for our more gruesome tests," one doctor whispered to him as Alex tried to kick someone that was touching his shirt.

Clenching his fists, Alex controlled himself as they checked the wounds on his chest. Muttering things Alex did not understand, they removed the bandages on his skinny waist, and cleaned them with something cold. The liquid stung as it touched the raw skin, and Alex hissed at the sharp pains.

He could feel them touching his stitches and wished for some more pain killers.

"I want the skin to breath, so only put a light bandage on," a familiar scientist's voice said.

At one point, Alex heard them conversing in sharp voices.

"You can't, we're trying to heal him or we're dead – don't you get it yet? Your _experimental medicine_," one man snarked sarcastically. "Will have to wait. You can use that on one of the others…I don't _care_ if it only works on stretched skin. Go give the others' stitches, if you must, but I cannot allow you to use that on him."

They argued some more, and then there were sounds of fighting. The words traitor reached Alex's ears as he fought to stand up and tear the bandage from his face.

"That's good enough for now – take him back, before he tears those stitches!"

Roughly transported back to the cell by Trey and Gove, Alex kept his eyes open and tried to catch sight of the rest of his unit. "So – I hear you guys are having problems with Scorpia? I can understand that," Alex said with a snort to the wide eyed-guards. "You land a hot air balloon on one person and they want to shoot you! Where's the logic in that?"

"Shut up," snarled Gove. Trey looked interested though.

"What makes you think we're having problems with them?" he asked.

"…you don't know?" Alex said, with a gaping mouth. "Well, Michael mentioned something…."

Alex continued to look confused as Trey and Gove stared at him, and then at each other. Jerking violently, Alex managed to detach himself from their grasp…

…just as Sawyer walked around the corner.

His dark eyes narrowed in delight. Hurrying forward, he blocked Alex's path, and Trey caught the teen's wrists. "I knew these morons should not have been left in charge of you," Sawyer said with a put upon sigh. "I'll escort you to your cell, shall I?"

"But, sir!" Trey paused and stuttered an apology, before tugging a confused Gove away.

"Idiots," Sawyer muttered as they ran away from him. He grabbed Alex's hair. In the time he had been there, it had grown and Sawyer had a firm grasp on the straw colored locks. "What did you tell them brat?"

"What?" Alex asked and pretended the pain in his head caused his confusion.

Meanwhile, he was quickly coming up with an excuse to cover the tracks of his plan. Trey and his large crony might have believed him, but Sawyer knew him better…and he _might_ have more wits about him, as well, but Alex was still not positive about that.

Tugging his head forward in a violent jerk, Sawyer chuckled near his ear. "You know exactly what I mean."

"Fine," Alex sneered. "I was admitting my undying devotion to you!" Stepping on the man's foot harshly, Alex spat in his face and tried to get in any other shots while he could. Sawyer would have to be taken care of; he was watching Alex too closely.

Face twisted in anger, Sawyer let loose a strangled sound – and then pressed Alex back against the wall. His hands were clenched around Alex's throat far too tightly. Alex couldn't breath and was finding it increasingly difficult to think clearly.

Sawyer's breath was rasping near his face in angry pants.

"I don't care what they want – you need to die or we'll all be ruined – money or no money!"

The hands that cut off his breathing were torn away. Fingernails dug into Alex's skin as Sawyer tried uselessly to hold onto to him.

"Aaagh!" The scream was desperate anger. Alex only half heard the shouted commands to take Sawyer away.

He fell to the floor in a shaking, and gasping slump. His neck felt numb and Alex reached up the feel the damage done by Sawyer's freakishly long nails.

"He's a suspect now – he bloody well knows that the brat can't be killed!" Gove was ranting loudly and Alex looked up at him with an odd gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.

He had not planned the attempted strangling, but it seemed Sawyer had helped him by doing so.

Sawyer's rambling only made Alex much more positive that something big was happening around them. It had Sawyer nervous, the guards paranoid, and for whatever reason, Alex had to stay in good health.

So far, the guards and scientists weren't doing a very good job about that.

Alex was lifted and brought to his cell by five guards. No one trusted him alone with just one or two people any longer. He did not try to talk to these guards, and he did not have to. What needed to be done was done.

Now all he had to do was wait and hope the results were worth it.

**Authors Note:** Thank you Nyxelestia for betaing! Just thought I'd clear something up first. Yes, I use three fingers to type this story--and all the others of course. My thumb does the spacing, the middle finger does everything involving letters and the index finger on my left hand does the shift. Weird it may be, but I've gotten pretty good at it if I do say so myself. :) The middle finger was the one Charles the Second injured, but it is all better now. Okay, I'm going to try and speed the plot up. Please vote in the poll on my profile! I need to know which **name for Alex's boy** you guys like most, and feel free to suggest one!

Nope, I wasn't joking about a party, I'm just that crazy. Of course American's get a party as well, I'm American and I want to come, :D How about tonight (the 18th) from 3pm to 11pm, Friday night from four pm to whenever we fall over from exhaustion. I doubt many will show up, **(prove me wrong! XD) **if any at all, but I always wanted a chat room so it's like the grand opening, heehee. The _**password**_ is a must if you want to get in the **_chat room, _**both the link and the password are in my profile!


	18. Chapter 18: The Unknown Traitor

Snake was in the cell when Alex returned.

Alex was pushed inside the cell violently, but his happiness at the sight of another member of his unit made his considerable pains seem like paper cuts. He ignored Eagle's offered hand and lifted himself up from the ground. Snake had taken 'his' bed as Alex had begun to think of it. "I see you've been taken care of," Snake said. His pale eyebrows were creased in confusion.

"I see you haven't," Alex countered hoarsely as he took in Snake's appearance. His face was pale where it was not covered with bruises. They ranged from dark purples to sickly yellows. Alex found it hard to look at Snake's face.

"Are you injured anywhere else?" Alex asked reluctantly. He was not sure he wanted to know, but Snake shook his head and Alex nodded. Alex's voice was slightly scratchy from his recent choking session and he preferred not to use it, but he did not think it was too noticeable.

"I think I'm bruised everywhere, but that's as far as the damage goes," Snake said.

"Why were you escorted back by the grim gang?" Wolf asked Alex as he brought over the pitcher of water. Handing it to Snake, Wolf turned to wait for Alex's answer.

He noticed the he also had Eagle's attention, and while Snake was gulping the water down at an unhealthy speed, he seemed to be listening as well.

"There's a traitor somewhere in this building," he said. Snake put down the pitcher and blinked at him. "At least--I think there are more than one. Sawyer killed one, and I just put Michele and Sawyer under suspicion."

Because the guards were so eager to believe that Sawyer and Michele were spies, Alex believed that there was another spy somewhere in the building.

That instinct told him what he needed to know, just like it always did. It told him that his enemies were on their toes, and that they were now worried and nervous and quick to judge. In a way, Alex felt that somehow he, K Unit and Yassen were getting revenge without doing a thing.

Fate was funny like that.

They jumped away from each other as they heard the sounds too late. Trey and Gove looked at them suspiciously while dragging an unmoving Yassen into the room. Behind them was the younger guard they had seen before. He still looked nervous, but he seemed comfortable around his fellow guards.

In the younger man's hand was a small chain attached to two handcuffs. Fox was wearing the handcuffs.

They dropped Yassenon the floor and pushed Fox in as well. Trey gave Alex one last distrusting look before continuing after Gove.

As soon as they were out of sight, Alex hurried over to Yassen. "What happened to him?" he asked Fox who was fiddling with his handcuffs.

"They questioned him some more. He's under some type of drug, and he won't talk," Fox mumbled. Alex pushed Yassen to a sitting position, and his hand came away from the man's shoulder wet.

Looking at the sweat and watery blood on his hand, Alex's eyes went back to Yassen's shoulder where he had pushed the man down. Yassen's shirt could not be considered new, but someone had given him something to wear other than his ratty shirt.

Alex continued his examination, and Yassen was not capable of complaining.

Under the collar of the shirt, the skin was red and chafed. Alex frowned and kneeled down for a closer look. It looked as if someone had tied something around Yassen's neck and it had rubbed against his skin. Not wanting to look any further, Alex stepped away from Yassen and looked at the others. Even though Wolf was trying to free Fox of his handcuffs, they were both taking turns glancing at Yassen.

"It must be some kind of calming drug – he's like a vegetable," Alex said with a frown.

"Most drugs wear off Cub," Snake said softly. "It's not permanent."

"Should – I check him to see if he's hurt anywhere else?" Alex asked falteringly. Snake nodded.

"Just check under his shirt," he said. There were indeed wounds under Yassen's shirt. Beside the ones that had already been there, it looked like someone had a skill with a knife. They had drawn thin lines down the scarred flesh in a checkered pattern.

Alex stumbled to the corner and was sick.

Eagle sighed and brought the pitcher over. Alex panted slightly and continued to stay bent over with his hands on his knees. "Sorry," he muttered to Eagle. The man next to him shook his head but did not comment at first except to hand Alex the pitcher.

Wiping his mouth, Alex took a small bit of water into his mouth to get rid of the taste and then spat the now dirty water into the latrine. "Nothing to apologize for Cub, I get a bit queasy at the sight of blood sometimes."

Alex shook his head, "It wasn't the blood that did it," he muttered. "I just can't – I'm sick of seeing injuries. It just surprised me, I guess."

They were silent for a few minutes then, "I hate cockroaches," Fox muttered. "They freak me out."

Alex blinked and looked at Wolf. He however, was too busy gaping at Fox to notice.

"I'm afraid of sewers," Snake said slowly. Wolf turned to look at him with a bemused expression. Straitening up, Alex wiped his mouth again and held back a smile. While Wolf did not seem to know what the rest of K-Unit was doing, he knew.

Eagle bit his lip, the blurted out his secret, "I'm scared of clowns."

Wolf laughed out loud in surprise, and Eagle glared at him. "It's not funny, Wolf. Trust me, I have my reasons," Eagle muttered and crossed his arms. Yassen shuffled as he woke, and Alex watched him with caution.

"Whatever," Wolf said while giving a disinterested look in Yassen's direction. "These handcuffs aren't coming off Fox. It looks like you are stuck with them for a while."

"Not so fast Wolfman – what's _your _fear?" Fox asked with a raised eyebrow. Alex was half listening as he tried to get Yassen to lie down, but the man was silently refusing.

Wolf was silent, and Alex glanced at him and fetched a blanket from his makeshift bed. Scratching his beard, Wolf shrugged and Alex rolled his eyes, "Oh, tell them, Wolf. They bared their _souls_ to you, and now you can do the same," he said mockingly.

"I didn't ask them to _bare their souls_--" Wolf began sarcastically but Snake cut him off.

"How do you know what Wolf is scared of Cub?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah!" Eagle added.

"I _don't_ know," Alex said, when he saw Wolf's warning look. The others did not looked like they believed him, but Alex was too busy frowning over Yassen's state of mind to care.

He was used to Yassen being quiet, but this was ridiculous. The drug could have permanent effects. Alex closed his eyes. What if this was what Yassen would be like for the rest of his life? Silent, uncaring, and forever in this vegetative state…Alex thought he, himself, would prefer death.

While the injuries on Yassen were just cuts, Alex knew they looked worse than what they were.

He did not feel it would be right to demand that Snake get out of bed and help Yassen. He had said the man would be fine, and Alex decided to trust him on this.

He had tuned out K Unit and now he turned his attention back to them after throwing the blanket over Yassen's shoulders.

"-it can't be that bad. Come on Wolf, we won't tell anyone!"

"Shut it!" Wolf snapped and they all glared at him in response to his outburst. "Fine!" he growled and Eagle smiled at him. "I'm – scared of heights," he stammered embarrassedly.

Alex had already figured this, or at least thought a few times that Wolf had other reasons for not wanting to jump out of the plane at Brecon Beacons.

"Well, that's a perfectly normal fear," Snake said with a shrug.

"I was hoping it would be more dramatic," Eagle muttered with a sigh and Fox grinned.

Wolf rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Like what? Fear of pickles?"

Fox laughed loudly and Wolf turned his glare on him, "Shut the hell up, cockroach man!"

Flushing in embarrassment, Fox walked away from Wolf and towards Alex. "You okay?" he asked as Wolf and Eagle argued in the background.

"As good one can be in the situation," Alex said. "I'm more so wondering about Yassen, when do you think the drug will wear off?" Fox shrugged and Alex's shoulders fell.

"I mean, yeah heights is a common fear, but I expected something like, I'm scared of…of dancing! That would have been unusual," Eagle was saying to Wolf.

"I'm not scared of dancing, now shut it," Wolf growled dangerously.

"Prove it to us Wolf," Snake said wickedly. "Do a little waltz for us. Maybe you can get one of the guards to be your partner-"

"Would you guys grow up?" Fox asked, and tried to wave his arms, but the handcuffs held his hands together. "I've just remembered, I learned some stuff when I was alone. Half of it is blurry, but some of it is good to know."

"What are you blabbing about?" Wolf snapped.

"Remember how we were told that Scorpia was working with the scientists freaks?" Fox asked, as he sat on the floor.

Alex looked at the others and he nodded. "Vaguely," Eagle said slowly.

"Well, I heard two guards or scientists talking, one of them was rather slow, I think it might have been the one called Gove," Fox said.

"Hurry up," Wolf snapped and Fox frowned.

"Apparently, if MI6 finds that Scorpia has tried to kill Alex or cause him anymore trouble, MI6 is going to make it a known fact that I fourteen year old outsmarted some of the worst criminals in the world," Fox smiled at Alex and gave him a thumbs up. Alex could not help but grin back.

"Right, now – where is this going?" Wolf asked.

"I would _tell _you, but you keep interrupting," Fox snapped. Wolf crossed his arms and Fox smirked before continuing.

"Because most of the members of Scorpia are arrogant, hard hearted fools, they decided to pay the scientists to capture Alex and kill him with time. I think Scorpia decided that they wanted Alex dead now, but the Scientists did not want to do it--I'm not completely sure why," Fox frowned. "Anyhow, it appears the scientists cut off all links with Scorpia, and now Scorpia want to know if Alex is dead and just what the scientists are doing."

Understanding made Alex nod quickly. "Sawyer killed a spy then, he realized that Clark was a spy and he killed him because of it."

Wolf suddenly burst into laughter. Eagle looked at him--then comprehension dawned on him and he laughed as well. Alex felt rather stupid.

"What?" he asked cautiously. Snake looked amused.

"I think they're going on about how Sawyer went and killed this man – and now he's under suspicion of being a spy as well!" Snake smirked and Alex shrugged.

"Tell us exactly what happened, why don't you," Eagle suggested.

Alex glanced at Yassen, but he was still asleep – or unconscious.

"Fine," Alex muttered. He repeated to them just what had taken place less than an hour ago. "…and then Sawyer tried to choke me to death, but some guards came in time to stop him. Now Sawyer is probably being questioned or better, maybe they killed him."

Snake frowned, "Come here," he told Alex.

Frowning in confusion, Alex did just that. Snake got out of the bed and shivered at the cool air. He pulled Alex's collar down to reveal the bruises on his throat. Snake shook his head in disgust as he turned Alex's head lightly to examine the left side of his neck better.

"Sawyer needs to be tortured before he dies. Someone should choke _him_ for a change," he muttered angrily. Alex shifted uncomfortable, and Snake released him with an understanding look.

"I was wondering why you sounded raspy," Wolf said as he took the pitcher and carefully drank.

"Maybe they got a better deal," Alex said suddenly. Wolf blinked at him from over the rim of the pitcher. "I mean, Scorpia must have been paying the scientists something to capture us and all. After all, we aren't the best behaved captives in the world," he said sarcastically.

Alex sighed and looked around the cell. With its dark walls and cold air…Alex felt more trapped then usual at that moment. How many hours had he wasted on the computer just reading boring articles to pass the time? After being stuck inside for weeks, he wanted nothing more than to see the sun.

_A run through the park would be nice_, he thought sadly. Maybe he could even get Jack to come along. She was not big on jogging but if he tempted her with the promise of ice cream afterward-

_Stop, you fool, _Alex told himself.

He was wishing for things that couldn't be. He'd come close to imagining he _was_ home. Vain imaginations would not save him – if anything they would make him lose himself more quickly.

"What are you thinking of?"

Alex looked at Fox. He must have seen the look on Alex's face, the one that spoke of depression and desperation.

"I was thinking about being outside," he said. "I want to see the sun, and feel the grass – and hear those annoying birds."

Wolf made a face. "Very theatric Cub, now please stop, before I puke."

Scowling, Alex shot him a glare. "Don't you dare lead me to believe you don't miss _something _outside this damn cell?"

"I'm not going to waste time thinking of dreams and illusions of what could be. We're in a cell. MI6 either has no idea where we are or doesn't care-"

"They will come, you idiot," Alex snapped, "We just have to wait and be patient."

Wolf sniffed and set the pitcher down heavily--where it cracked. "Right, of course they'll come Cub – just like they did when you in the French Alps and Point Blanc, right?"

Eagle, Snake and Fox watched this exchange quietly.

"Oh, wait!" Wolf exclaimed. "They didn't come for you, did they? NO! Instead you went plummeting down the hill on a wannabe snowboard and almost bled to death when you hit a barbed wire fence!"

It was true, and Alex did not believe with all his heart that MI6 would come – but if he admitted that, then some of the little hope he had would die.

"They were just late – they didn't trust me back then. They trust me now, they need me. After all, who else will be a willing sacrifice?" Alex said bitterly. "They'll come – so stop doubting and shut the hell up!"

"I _will not!_" Wolf burst out. He kicked the pitcher and it hit the wall. Large pieces of porcelain scattered across the floor and Yassen stirred at the sound, but only Alex and Snake noticed.

"How can you put faith in them? The people who blackmailed you and threatened to send you to an orphanage unless you went along with their mad idea!" Wolf shouted.

"What else can I do Wolf?!" Alex screamed. His voice cracked, and desperation colored his voice with anger "If I can't put faith in someone coming to save us, then what's the point in living any longer?"

He took a deep shuddering breath--but he wasn't done. Reaching down Alex picked up a sharp piece of the pitcher. "I could…kill myself right now," he said slowly. Eagle inhaled sharply and Fox's eyes were wide with disbelief and fright.

The porcelain fragment was sharp enough to cut vital veins and Alex stared at it before looking up.

"If I did not have hope that in the end, someone would free me from this hell hole – and if I weren't so guilty at the thought of leaving all of you alone, why should I keep suffering?" Alex asked.

Wolf had no answer. His hands were bleeding where his fingernails had cut into his hands.

"So leave me and my delusions alone. I'm not to the point of suicide, and I hope I never will be. It's the coward's way out of life…so don't tell me they won't come, Wolf, got it?"

Wolf nodded slowly. He was still staring at the chipped porcelain in Alex's hand.

As he looked down at it, Alex realized his hand hurt. The sharp edges had cut into his skin and a small puddle of blood was forming in his palm. Staring at the way the dark red stained the pure white of the pitcher fragment, Alex did not hear the footsteps behind him.

Fox lifted the broken porcelain from his hand with serious eyes. He held it between his two shackled hands in a loose hold.

Alex could see the question in Fox's eyes. _Would you really kill yourself? _

Shaking his head, Alex turned to face Fox. "I wouldn't do it Fox, never would I do that."

Fox paused and measured Alex to see if he was truthful. Finally, after several moments, he sighed and tossed the fragment to the side.

"I'm glad," he said. Nodding, Alex smiled and turned around to help Eagle clean up the mess the broken pitcher had made.

**Authors Note**: I'd like to thank all the readers and reviewers--thank you for sharing your opinions. I may not respond to reviews when the person is not signed in anymore, or does not leave an e-mail address, but I do read them and appreciate them very much! Also a big thanks to Nyxie for betaing. Take a look at my yahoo group for updates and first chapters of new stories, if you like, the link is in my profile!


	19. Chapter 19: The Great Escape

Gove came and unlocked Fox's handcuffs an hour and a half later. The porcelain fragments were cleaned up, and the one long shard Alex had thought to hide, was ripped out of his hand. The cut that incident created still bled sluggishly, but the guards were not taking any chances. They learned long ago that if these certain captives were given the chance, they would try to escape.

The cell was searched for other things that could be used as weapons of devices for suicide. They had guns; K Unit and Yassenhad nothing. After that, they were left alone for two days. During that time they did not set their eyes on anyone except each other. The pitcher of water they had had, was gone due to Wolf's attitude when he had put it on the hard floor with far more force than was necessary. The food ran out in four hours as they had become presumptuous and thought they would be fed again soon. Within those two days, the boredom drove Alex to pacing the cell and then to sleeping for hours. Yassen had slowly gotten better, he vomited a few times but was now resting.

Alex tried to do some sit ups and push ups, the injuries made it painful, but he hated how weak he felt. Never had he been held inside like this. Ian had never made him stay in his bedroom for punishment, nor had Jack. Alex enjoyed being outside, and the only time he was inside for more than a day was when it was frigid outside, or he was sick.

Now though, he had lost track of time. It had to be three weeks he had been captivity…Jack would be having her birthday soon, Alex thought. Had this been a normal day he'd be worrying over what to get her. Not a book, she didn't have the patience even though she loved stories--maybe an audio book instead. That way she could still go about her business but get enjoyment out of reading at the same time. Fox came over, his wrists still raw from the time he had spent in handcuffs. Noticing Alex's distant expression, he sat down beside him.

"You thinking about anything that I might be interested in?" he asked dully. The claustrophobic feeling that loomed for so long, had become a depressed and in-the-depths-of-despair feeling. It effected them all, even Eagle was incapable of making their situation seem escapable. Snake, usually silent and watchful, became talkative to an extent that Alex felt the need to knock him unconscious. After all, why the _hell _would they want to know the proper way to treat cysts? He was bored, but not so bored he wanted to talk about nasty skin conditions. "Alex?"

Looking up, Alex realized he still had not answered Fox's first question. "Sorry, I was mentally buying a birthday present for Jack." He gave an embarrassed grin, but Fox did not roll his eyes or tease him for it.

"My brother's kids will be having their birthday soon; they're twins," he said, "one boy, one girl."

Fox did not talk a lot about his past, and because of this, Alex turned his head and straightened up to watch and listen better.

"How old will they be?" he asked.

"Four, they'll finally be over the terrible threes," he said with a chuckle. "During the last year they've poured syrup on the furniture, trimmed their long-haired cat, and used the bedroom walls as a giant artist's canvas."

"Well, that decides it," Wolf said as he heard the last part and came over. "I'm not having kids."

Fox chuckled, "There are good things Wolf, I'm not feeling reminiscent enough to go over them though, and anyway, the stories I could tell would make you cry," he ended teasingly.

Wolf snorted, "Yeah, in horror maybe."

"What did you mentally get Jack?" Fox asked loudly as he turned away in an obvious snub to Wolf.

"An audio book," Alex said. "I decided pretty quickly too. I should do all my shopping this way," he joked. No one laughed and they settled down for another day spent waiting for something to happen.

……………………

Growing up an overcrowded area, in which the housing was typically in a very bad condition and the food was sparse. Yassen had learnt how to survive in a poor environment at an early age. His mother had died and his father, a usually compassionate man, turned bitter. Thievery was common, and the thought of dying because he had been caught asleep did not appeal to Yassen. For years he trained his unconscious mind.

He could awake at the slightest sound, or if the tension in a room got high, he was always prepared to fight or flee. This talent combined with his swift mind and body brought him to the attention of Serena Saki, during the time she had been employed by Scorpia as a talent scout of a sort. With her gently persuading, Yassen, still being naïve in the harsh workings of the world, had agreed to accompany Serena to one of the headquarters. After a few months of training, Julia Rothman paired him with John Rider.

Yassen learned a lot from John, and had never quite became emotionless unlike what was wanted. Yassen decided that he remained that way because John had never been totally emotionless. He had been good at his job, and never let his personal life get in the way, but he was never cold. After many years of killing and near death situations, Yassen's natural and learned talent had taken him here, to this Godforsaken cell with John Rider's last living heir. The irony had worn off a week ago. Now Yassen subconsciously heard the footsteps and he awoke easily. The talent that came in handy so many times before, once again making the potentially dangerous situation known to him.  
Sitting up, Yassentook in Fox sitting beside Alex; both of them were quiet.

There was a man standing in front of their cell. He was heavy in build and balding, he resembled the description Alex had gave them of one of the heads in charge of this entire ordeal. He looked them over with a scrutinizing eyes that only a scientist could have. Every detail was taken in. The dirt on their faces, rough beginnings of beards, circles under their eyes and how their clothes was much looser then it had been not three weeks ago. Not speaking, he walked the length of the cell and saw how their eyes followed him, like wary prey afraid of being consumed.

Yassendid not let his curiosity show, instead he focused on the detestation that boiled in his gut. Another two sets of footsteps came up the corridor. The balding man turned and the expression of unhappy surprise on his face gave Yassen some satisfaction. The reason for these emotions became clear as a guard and a woman came into view.

"You were supposed to make her wait," the man spat to the guard. Uneasily, the spotted guard stuttered out a response.

"Sir, she _demanded_--"

The man waved away the half-hearted apology. "Leave us."

He waited until the guards was out of sight, then he turned to the lady. "You're early," the words were said in barely hidden displeasure and in Russian. He did not know how many languages Alex knew, or if any of them beside him could understand what was being said.

"Yes, is that a problem?" the woman replied flawlessly in the same tongue.

There was a dangerous look in her eyes as she placed a hand on the mauve suit. Her golden hair was done up in a bun, glinting blue eyes glared at the man opposite him.

"Not at all Careen, I was going to bring the boy to an interrogation room before you arrived. I'll call a guard and get him taken there now--"

"Too bad you sent away the last guard so quickly, Irvin" Careen said.

Irvin's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he made a sound of agreement. "And too bad _you_ did not stay in the entrance hall like I politely asked, instead of demanding you be taken to my side."

"Why Irvin, are you irritated with me?" The teasing tone of voice made a blush rise in the doctor's pale face.

"I've only ever talked to you over the phone, and you never used my first name. So please, refrain from doing so now," Irvin snapped. Careen's eyebrows rose to her hairline.

"I don't believe I like your tone, do you want the money--or should I tell Scorpia how you decided to betray them _then _went back to them when the deal did not work out?"

"No need for that," the doctor said hastily and Careen smiled sweetly.

"I didn't think so," she replied. Alex looked over and saw Yassen was awake and watching the two talk. He looked hesitant about coming over, and Yassen discouraged him more so by shaking his head subtly. He wanted to find out as much as possible before the two noticed and got on with their business. "Do you have the boy ready yet, I want to talk to him--you understand, no reason to buy the product until I know I'll be completely satisfied." Smiling, Careen ignored Irvin and turned to look into the cell. "He's thin…but such a pretty face," she spoke in heavily accented English and smiled slowly. Yassen glanced at Alex to see the boy's face harden in an emotionless mask.

"Dear," she said to Alex, "don't be like that, we're going to become great friends, you'll see."

"I doubt that," the biting words made Careen blink in surprise.

"Look at that Irvin, it speaks!" chuckling, Careen turned away from Alex with one last glance. "I love him," she said as she switched back to Russian, "he's got wit. That could be good or bad, but we'll have him trained soon enough." Three guards came down the hall, their footsteps timed and neat.

"Guns out, they haven't been feisty in a while but I want you prepared," the doctor said to the guards.

They brought out their guns and unlocked the cell. Yassen watched from the corner as two familiar guards hefted Alex up so he was standing. They did not bother to fight anymore, and even if the thought of fighting had crossed any of their minds, none of them were strong enough to try. The recent lack of food and water had weakened them all to an extent that escape was laughable. Yassen watched as they pulled a weak Alex to his feet. The boy stumbled, his pace pale and sickly under the harsh lights. They prodded Alex out the door and down the hall. The boy did not look back, but Yassen could see the grim stress lines on his forehead. They disappeared out of sight, Careen nodded at them in a surprisingly non-mocking fashion and then followed. When they could no longer hear anything Fox went to Yassen's side. "You're Russian, what did they say? What do they want with Cub?"

"I think the woman wants to…buy him," Yassen said. Wolf and the rest came closer, their faces filled with different reactions.

"What?" Eagle exclaimed. "Why would they want to _buy _him?! I thought they were being paid to kill us slowly or something."

"The woman's name is Careen, she mentioned that the doctor was betraying Scorpia because he's selling Alex to her," Yassen said as he stood. The injuries irritated his skin and made him itch and wince in pain.

"They're going to give Alex to her today? Now!?" Snake stood and began to pace. He limped a little but did not stop walking around the small space. Suddenly, there was a loud beeping sound that echoed throughout he compound. It repeated itself three times before shutting off, K Unit and Yassen looked around the cell and at each other. A moment later, hurried footsteps were racing toward their cell.

"Okay, I want them blindfolded and ready to go in ten, got it?"

The rough voice was hurriedly answered and at least ten guards came into sight. Yassen put names with the faces he saw, it was hard to remember every name as after a while they muddled together.

After all, there was nothing to distinguish each guard. They were all there for the same reason, to do as they were told. The fact that their orders hurt people was not as important as their job. They entered the cell and pulled out heavy black fabric.

"You mean nothing to us," the leader said in a bored voice. "We will shoot."

Wolf clenched his fists as his hands were pulled behind his back and his eyes were wrapped up in the fabric. Yassen felt callused hands roughly tie his arms tight and he stared straight ahead. There were sounds of rustling fabric and rope. Yassen took a silent but deep breath. The guards smelt of soap, chemicals and sweat as they moved around and then bustled them out of the room and into the hall. The bright lights that hung from the ceiling by thin metal chains made the blackness behind the material seem just slightly _less_black. It was infuriating not to be able to see, so Yassen used his others senses to the best of his advantage. One of the guards was recovering from a cold, and the one behind him liked mint gum and smacking it on Yassen's ear while letting the muzzle of the gun brush against his back.

"Step down," a guard said a little too late and Yassen caught himself from falling by shifting his weight and using the hand on his arm as leverage.

The floor changed beneath their feet from the hard cement to what Yassen guessed from the sound of shoes against it, that it was a wood or linoleum floor. They were held back as a door opened. Yassen froze. The sound of birds rushed in at him, behind him Eagle sucked in a gasping breath as a warm breeze rolled over them. A few men chuckled before pushing them forward into the blinding sunlight.

The leader gave an amused sound as they stumbled out the doors, "Welcome back to civilization boys."

…………………………..

The door shut behind Careen with a snap. Alex stayed seated and did not turn around even as he felt her curious eyes sweep over him. Walking slowly, she circled him once. Clear blue eyes examined him from all angles, and Alex tried not to let his discomfort show. The chair Alex sat on was plastic and uncomfortable, across from him was an identical chair with a four legged, metal table to separate them. Careen sat in the chair and crossed her ankles. The suit's jacket crinkled as she sat. Careen straightened it so the creases smoothed out and the material shined. Alex watched all this with a frown on his face and weary caution in his eyes. "I imagine you're wondering what I want from you. Will I ask you confusing questions, threaten you, or bring in someone to beat you _while _asking questions?" Careen smiled lightly and crossed her fingers.

Seeing his expression did not change, Careen pursed her lips in thought.

"I looked at your file--yes, you have a file, you didn't know? Anyhow, I gathered from the information on some things you've said and actions you've taken, that you are very curious about the motives of the leaders in this…organization. It seems you'll risk getting hurt for information that could help you and your unit. So, what do you want to know?"

Alex's blank expression faltered. It slid off his face to show the surprise hidden beneath, he could not pull it up in time before Careen saw and smiled. It was a pleasant smile--or maybe he was just used to Sawyer's menacing grins. "I am not part of this group, or of Scorpia, however, I have an unlimited supply of knowledge on the goings-on of both groups. I imagine there are cameras in this room, and it's probably bugged, but as you will be either dead or far away from here within a few hours, it does not really matter. Ask what you like, and I will answer to the best of my ability."

The offer was everything Alex had wanted in the last few days, even weeks! But now that he had this opportunity--he could not think of a single question to ask. It was too good an offer, what was the catch?

"Er, I…" Alex shifted in his seat and looked at Careen. She was the enemy, but of a different kind. She was involved enough to be guilty, but he had not been hurt by her or her group yet. Taking a chance, Alex asked the first question he could think of.

"What do _you_want with me? Not these scientist freaks, or Scorpia, _your _group."

The room was quiet as Careen thought that over. "You've dealt with Scorpia before, correct? Yes, well they have caused many deaths and much trouble for many once powerful people. These people--or the ones that are not dead at least, have gathered together as a fighting force. We wish to become more than Scorpia ever was…and we want you to help us."

"How?"

"We will take you and train you for around six months to a year, then use you in various missions. You need to heal, and there are things you still need to learn and others things you've forgotten. You will be treated like any other under our command. Your injuries will be treated, but hopefully most of them have at least halfway healed by now. You see, I'm partly responsible for getting the abuse to stop. You're no good to us harmed, I'm sure you understand."

Alex nodded, his face hard. He understood very well. The food, water and lack of torture had came upon him to prepare him for a possibly worse fate. Flashbacks of his training with Scorpia came back to him. The brutal workouts, the high tensions…it had been exhausting, and he was already so very tired just from being in a cell for so long. He did not want that life of crime. The aftereffects were bad enough…if MI6 ever let out the information that he had almost killed….

The only door in the room opened. A guard came in with a glass of water in his outstretched hand. He seemed irritated at being handed such a meager job as fetching water. Setting it in front of Alex, the guard turned and left.

"You go from looking pale, to a light yellow. I'm sorry you went for food and water for so long, I was not aware that the regular guards that fed you were being interrogated for suspicion of spying--"

"--About that," Alex cut in after drinking some water to help his parched throat. "What is it with all this spy stuff?"

"Scorpia sent a message here asking if you were killed yet. You were supposed to be dead two weeks ago. The doctors here fool around with pain inducing medication, and some others are experts in torture, but some are running low on money to support these experiments--plus most of them are running away from the law, and when Scorpia offered them a large sum to kill you slowly, they took it. This way, Scorpia can not be held accountable for your death, and it won't be traceable back to them, yet they will have the satisfaction of knowing you died in the most painful ways possible," Careen's words were matter of fact, and against his better judgment, Alex believed them.

"Some others have still not agreed that you are worth fighting Scorpia so outright when we are still a small group, you might be tested. Nice to meet you Mr Rider," She stood up then, and with a nod Careen left the room shutting the door behind looked into his water glass, he had not thought twice before drinking the clear water.

There were poisons and medicine that were scentless and tasteless, I could fall over in unconsciousness any moment, Alex thought with a kind of detached feeling. He was weak as a newborn lamb, and yet there were still those that sought to use him. Alex stood and went to the door. He knew it would be locked, but he tried to turn the cold handle anyway--and to his utter surprise, it turned under his palm.

Suddenly, the impassive feeling faded and left Alex dizzy with the force of its departure. The metal handle hurt his hand as he clenched it with surprising force. There was a draft coming in from the crack in the door and the breeze ruffled Alex's filthy, matted hair. Carefully, Alex pulled the door open and peered outside. The hall was lined with bright lights, but the hall was empty. Stepping out the door, Alex felt every inch of him tense as he waited for a guard to scram in surprise, or for someone to yell, "You left the door unlocked, idiot!"

But that did not happen, and the fact was hard for Alex to comprehend with his tired mind and empty stomach. How many times had he tried to escape and failed? Now he was being handed the chance again. Someone either liked to watch him fail, or his luck could compete with that of Harry Potter. The thought was not one of humor, and Alex slipped out the door. When handed a chance like this…it would be foolish not to at least try, and wasn't the third time a charm anyhow?

His shoes had not been replaced, so he treaded the hall barefoot and soon a thin coating of dust covered the bottom of his feet. The corridors were unfamiliar. Alex had been brought through them without a blindfold on and had halfheartedly tried to memorize the endless hallways, now he wished he had tried harder to concentrate. His mouth was dry again and he wanted more water desperately. As Alex wandered the corridors, he hoped Careen would get the guards to feed K Unit and Yassen before she realized he had run off. This time, if he found the exit, he would not be going back for them.

The thought made his breathing quicken as the situation became more real. He had to find a way out not only for himself, but for Yassen, Fox, Eagle, Wolf and Snake. Their survival, and his own, depended on him. Alex started walking faster, then he was running--searching for an halls were lighted, and there were doors with little windows. He glanced in a few every couple of steps, they were mostly empty except for a doctor's table, books and sometimes he saw trays of bottles. The hallway came to a end and Alex stumbled to a halt. Panting, he stared at the last door. He could not backtrack, he'd come so far--but who knew where the door led?

Taking a deep breath to quell his fears, Alex put both hands on the door handle and pulled. Alex gasped as sunlight momentarily blinded him to the extent where he was forced to put his arm up and close his eyes. Fresh, cool air lifted his large shirt. These strange sensations surrounded him and Alex felt dizzy. Alex still could not see right, he had been in the dark for so long his eyes had adjusted to the dimness. Now he lowered his arm slightly and saw the sky. It was flawless, a deep blue and a sight he never thought he would see again.

"I knew you would make it."

Spinning around, Alex put both hands out to defend himself, but the person who had spoke was Careen. She stood there with a pleased face, and her hands clasped behind her leather coat.

"What…." Alex could not say more than that. The feeling of euphoria faded quickly and left him sick and weak kneed.

"This was the first and only test. You passed. It was not very hard now was it?" She came forward, but Alex stumbled back.

"I'm not going back," he whispered fiercely.

"No, you're not," she agreed and left Alex feeling dumbfounded. "I'm taking you far from here. You'll be treated better than you have been for months. Warm food, clothes that fit, blankets and a bed…plus we'll get you back to health as soon as possible, your first mission is getting closer everyday, we have to have you ready in four months."

"No," Alex said. His voice was harsh and firm, the dread in his stomach hardened to become cold, unyielding determination. "I'm not going with you, and I'm not going back in there either," he said slowly while pointing to the door he had just exited.

"Alex, be reasonable. If I don't take you with me, you _will_ die," Careen said. The condescending tone made Alex tremble in both anger and stubbornness.

"I'm not going to die," Alex argued and her eyebrows crinkled in confusion as she studied him.

"You might be having a reaction to not eating in so long, you're shaking--"

"I'm leaving now, and if you try to stop me I will kill you and I won't feel bad about it," the words were still firm. His arms and legs may have been shaking, but Alex's voice was steady. He stepped away from the complex and away from Careen.

"Where would you go Alex? I had to get here by helicopter," she said with an amused smile.

He continued to walk--and then he heard the click of a gun preparing to fire.

"It will only stun you just long enough for me to get some guards, I don't want to do it. I imagine your pride has already been wounded by finding out your escape was planned," she said.

Alex turned around and stared at her. The gun was halfway up, ready to fire if necessary but Careen did look unwilling to do it. Alex judged the distance between them with subtle eyes. There was approximately six large footsteps away from her, maybe he could catch her off guard….

"--woodland full of dangers," Careen was saying as she described the land around the complex. "Your injuries are already making you suffer, I see the hand with the large injury is trembling even now, though your arm is not."

Alex stilled his hand by grasping the material of his shirt. "Nerve damage," he said stiffly.

Careen nodded, "And you have other injuries, many, many more. They do add up you know, and a young person such as yourself can only take so much--"

"--I'm fine!" Alex took a step forward that he hoped was unnoticeable. When Careen did not raise the gun, he continued to try and keep her talking. "Why can't you just let me go?"

Careen looked around as if searching for an answer, in that moment Alex slided closer to her before she looked up. "Having lived in what I would assume the earthly form of hell would be like for that last month or two, you should have realized no one here cares about your life. You could die now, and while it would upset me because I flew all the way out here, and it would hurt my cause, I would not mourn your death. I don't care if you cry yourself to sleep for the rest of your life. You will be helping thousands of people when we use you in our plans. You are too talented, I can't just let you go…and I am sorry, but there are other people to think about--"

It was then that Alex attacked.

Surging forward faster then he thought he'd be able to, Alex shouldered her in the stomach. With a gasp, Careen stumbled back and Alex aimed a kick at her hand. The gun went flying far behind them and they both watched as it landed on the gravel covered ground, Careen sitting on the ground and Alex standing. She turned back toward Alex--just in time to see the fist that hit her head. Alex watched with a rush of satisfaction as blue eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped to the ground. The feeling of fulfillment did not last long. Alex had started walking toward the fallen stun gun when the sound of an alarm going off made him start. Red lights flash around the building, and the alarm blared loudly alerting everyone that Alex was missing. Forgetting the gun, Alex turned, stumbled over Careen's unconscious body and started running.

The grounds around the complex were un-walled, Alex saw. The grass was short under his feet, the feeling of raw energy was something he had not felt since that day he was cornered and kidnapped.

Being outside where the sun, air and light made him feel so alive he wanted to scream--but he couldn't. Alex was far from being _free_. Yes, he was outside, and glancing behind him, Alex found he could no longer see Careen's body lying helpless on the ground--but still, he was far from safe. He ran faster, and from far behind him there was the sound of a door slamming hard into a wall. Voices yelled over the alarm as Careen's body was found.

His feet pounding into the ground, Alex jumped over fallen logs and briers, his heart beating faster then it had done in ages. His legs were sore and weak, sharp rocks and other natural things bit into the soles of his feet, the previously welcoming wind was harsh against his face. The alarm was no longer noticeable, but the memory of it echoed in his ears. Tripping, Alex picked himself out of the mud puddle and continued on. He knew that not too far behind him there were guards spilling out of the complex searching for him. That thought led to another and Alex wondered how long would it be until K Unit and Yassen were made aware of his escape? Would they even know, or would they be lied to and told he had been killed?

And if they knew he had escaped…would they be happy for him? The trees were numerous and large in size, but every other moment the sun slipped through the leafs and Alex had to squint and block his eyes.

He was running toward the setting sun, away from his prison and hopefully…toward help.

**Authors Note: **Alex is free…but still far from safe, and what is happening to Yassen and K Unit? Vorserkeien betaed this with only a small amount of time to do so, and in a time when I really needed the help, for that I thank her immensely!

It's so hot here that the birds have to use potholders to pull the worms out of the ground, and I'm headed to a place where it snowed two weeks ago--and a man was attacked by a bear there as well--but I'm trying not to think about that part! So the next chapter is on hold until I get my computer access back! Please review, ^_^


	20. Chapter 20: Freedom from Danger

Chapter Twenty: Freedom from Danger

Alex darted through the forest like a frightened deer. Each frantic pounding of his heart seemed like a rumble of thunder.

The harshness of Alex's breath sawed in and out of his lungs, roaring like the wind in his ears as he ran blindly into the woods dimness.

Stumbling, limping, Alex flung himself over a deep trench that appeared before him suddenly--and fell short. Grasping the grass with both hands, he hauled himself up onto his knees, and then forced himself to stand and then to run.

He caught only glimpses of the passing trees; with their gnarled branches, and menacing appearance. They towered above him, vainly trying to snuff out the dying light of the sun.

His ankle burned furiously. Every bruise, laceration and pulled muscle protesting at the exercise.

Behind him, he could glimpse the sky through the tree tops. It was a dark blue, and ahead of him the colors ranged from a deep orange to shades of pink.

The sight amazed him. He had never truly appreciated such a view before. Yes, he had gazed at the colorful sky--but only when Jack had pulled him over to a window, and even that was just to humor her.

The only colors he had seen for weeks were depressing grays of the cell walls, the shiny black bars that held him in, blues and purples from endless amounts of bruises on his skin, and the bright red of blood.

He'd thought he would never see this again. All those macho words of how MI6 would help and how someone would find them…they had all been words of ignorant hope, and Alex knew it.

When had Alan Blunt or Mrs. Jones ever cared about his well being? Only when they knew he would be needed again did they try to track Alex down as he ran from the crazed psychopaths polluting the world with their insane ideas.

He always had to save himself. Whether it was from teenagers pretending he was game, or scientists wanting to use him in their classes, Alex Rider had no one to depend on except himself.

Just then, a tangle of brambles caught his unprotected foot, and Alex went down.

For a moment, he lay there on the cold earth in shock. Gasping filled the air as he tried to catch his breath and failed.

He was shaking. The adrenaline rushing through him mixed with panic as he lay sprawled on the ground.

A few moments Alex allowed himself to breath, he was scared of moving. Once he stood, he'd have to start running again and he was already so tired.

"Get up," Alex whispered to himself.

His voice did not inspire him to run like hell, instead it made him think of just staying there. He sounded shaky and unsure.

Maybe he was far enough from the building, maybe he was safe now, and maybe the thoughts of vicious hunting dogs being sent after him was his imagination running wild.

But Alex could not live by thinking of 'maybe's'.

He had to act. Now.

"Get up," Alex said again, his voice stronger than before. "Run you idiot," he murmured to himself, "get up and _run_."

With a deep inhale, Alex pushed himself up on trembling arms. His bad leg shook as he tried to steady himself. Alex stumbled away, his momentum building until he was running once again.

But even with icy-cold tendrils wrapping around his heart, and the fear of being caught as real as ever; in the time span of twenty-five minutes, Alex's outright sprint had slowed to a stumbling walk.

The air made him shiver, the patches of blood here and there on his body felt like cold, sticky water.

The sun had set and the lack of light caused Alex to falter more and more as he made his way over the forest floor.

Some of the thorny climbing plants brushed up against him, pulling at his oversized shirt and adding to his list of painful or irritating injuries.

The mud puddle he had fallen into earlier had dried, although he wasn't sure that was a good thing. The dry dirt stuck to his skin, leaving him itchy and uncomfortable.

How long had he been walking? Surely it was far enough….

In another way, it obviously wasn't far enough. He had not found anyone to help him.

Stopping, Alex leaned against a tree to regain his breath and hopefully sort out the thoughts in his muddled brain. A fuzzy plant brushed up against his ankle. It was probably poisonous; wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake?

Some noise from behind made Alex spin around and drop into a crouch. Apparently it took more than a few weeks starving and being mentally and physically tortured to rid Alex of his instincts.

The woods were quiet. Alex listened, but there were no other sounds to make him more suspicious…but maybe that was what they wanted.

He stayed crouched on the ground, one knee pressed into the earth. Both his arms stretched toward the ground with his hands splayed across the forest floor. Alex could feel his heard beating in his chest, seemingly loud enough to tell anyone or anything that he was there.

Paranoia had finally spread to him it seemed, Alex decided as he slowly stood up again.

There was no around for miles--then, another snapping. Alex broke into a run without thinking twice. He'd been stupid, he should never have slowed.

Damn it. Why had he stopped, was catching his breath more important then staying alive?

They couldn't be far behind, the sound had been so close even though he had seen no one…and he had not heard anything except that stick breaking in two which could have been because of anything.

In fact, he was probably running from something that wasn't there.

Up ahead, the woods thinned. Alex did not have time to think of this long before finding himself breaking away from the rest of the trees and into a field.

He had a glimpse of the moon that highlighted the tall grass that seemed to go on for miles.

Then, he was falling. Something had grabbed onto his foot and the ground rushed up to meet him.

Both his arms brushed against the ground as he had tried to have some control on how hard he fell, they were scraped, his left arm bleeding slightly. Panting from exertion, Alex lay there.

The moon shone down on him brilliantly. He had no cover here, no place to hide should some one come looking, but who was around to look for him?

Alex felt positive he had left any guards far behind, they did not feel his urgency and desperation for escape. They were fed and clothed and could walk and move normally without wincing in pain. The guards had no reason to keep running after him long after the sun had set.

Alex was just another prisoner to them.

He'd fallen into a ditch, and too tired to get up; Alex managed to roll over onto his back and then stared up at the sky in surprise.

Stars. Millions of them, far more than he could name or count. He forgot to breath, struck speechless at the sight above. There were no city lights here, no walls to keep him in, nothing to do except map out the sparkling lights in the sky.

Alex swallowed emotion he tried to ignore welling up in his throat. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and held it in for a few moments. It had really happened. He had escaped.

You're the only one though, Alex thought to himself, a sick feeling coming along with the thought. What would happen to the others, to Wolf, Snake, Eagle, Yassen and Fox? Would they be punished for his sudden escape? Would more maltreatment be brought upon their heads, more experiments they did not deserve to suffer through?

Or would they be dead before Alex could bring them the help they so desperately needed?

The grass under him was clenched inside his fists, or at least, one hand grasped at the grass, the other remained numb and pretty much useless. Alex doubted it would ever work properly again.

As interesting as the sky was, Alex knew he should move. Trying to sit up proved difficult, extremely so as his arms ached, his back burned….

Even with dread and the need to help the others pushing him, Alex found that even he had a limit, and that limit had been reached.

He could rest for awhile; maybe sleep for a few hours. Alex had to admit; he needed it and wanted it badly.

So, even though he felt the need to fight this urge, Alex found himself curling up in the ditch. Air blew over his head, he was mostly protected from it but shivers broke out a few times.

Eyes burning from lack of sleep closed slowly. The last thing Alex saw was the moon, round and bright against a background of midnight sky.

……………………………

Alex's eyebrows furrowed and he felt a drop of water slide down his forehead and into his ear. Turning his head to the side with a frown, Alex opened his eyes a bit just to shut them again.

The sky had been clear last night, if it had not been he wouldn't have been able to see the stars. Now it was covered in dark grey clouds that dripped water. The rain fell on his face in cold droplets.

Pulling his knees to his chest, Alex hoped to warm himself. Instead, the movement allowed the back of his shirt to be pulled up as his back bent. A cold breeze slid over his skin in a harsh caress, and goose bumps rose all over his arms and legs.

Before, Alex had thought of the word pathetic, as meaning someone who was looked down upon because of their lack of strength…but then again, before, he had been almost indefatigable.

Now, he found himself thinking, _I'm pathetic, _and the word had a different meaning.

The ground he lied on all night had left soft indentions in his skin, these marks hurt when Alex tried to bury his wind-burnt face into the material of his over-sized shirt.

His hands had lost all feeling, his face had too, but Alex realized with slight disgust at himself, that his nose was running…and yet, he could not lift his hand to do anything about it.

Two bare feet, were subject to most of the wind as Alex had no strength to tuck them underneath himself. His back tingled from the bitter cold, and Alex realized he was shivering, shaking even.

_This _was what pathetic is.

Not knowing how to stand, not having the strength to do so if he wanted to, and not even knowing which way to travel if he _could _feel his legs, and if he _could _stand.

Feeling totally abject, he wanted to cry; maybe the tears would warm his face. But Alex's eyes were dry, cold and burning from the conditions around him.

That horrid woman had been right.

He had escaped, and now he was going to die out here. Alone.

……………………………

Stuck in this haze of wanting to become unconscious, and trying to make sure he did not bite his tongue with the force of his shivering, Alex never noticed the approaching footsteps.

He never heard the person walking alongside the ditch, cursing at his misfortune of being caught in the rain. Heavy, squelching footsteps paused. The words, "Should have stayed inside," got cut off suddenly as the speaker went quiet.

Noticing none of this. Alex's eyes closed, sick of seeing the rain forming puddles not a hands width away from his face.

Then, someone was running towards him, just a dozen or so steps, water making loud splashing noises in his wake.

"Hey! Are you okay?" What an absolutely thick question, Alex thought dully as he tried to find the greater meaning behind that question. Who was asking him? Was it just his mind gone mad?

The person jumped into the ditch besides Alex. A trembling hand carefully reached for one of Alex's wrists.

Not finding the will to open his eyes, Alex half heartedly listened. All he really wanted to do was sleep.

The person muttered as he checked Alex's vitals, and then reached to turn him onto his back. Limply, Alex let himself be pulled but did not even try to answer the concerned questions.

"If you can hear me, squeeze my hand," said someone in his hear, their breath warming his skin momentarily. "God, you're freezing," someone muttered next to him, and Alex's hand was taken and rubbed between two others.

The rain still fell from the sky in sheets of grey, in the distance thunder rumbled, a grim promise that the storm would soon get worse.

There was a silence in which his pulse was checked again and someone gave a shuddering sigh.

Carefully arms went around Alex's shoulders and under his knees. The world shifted when he was picked up, off the earth. His head lolled to press into someone's neck.

The person adjusted his position with a grunt, and turning, they made their way across the plain. The rain poured down for a while longer, then abated. Every step sent pain racking through Alex's injured body. His skin felt sore and burnt where the other person touched him.

A few whimpers escaped his lips, and Alex was too far gone to feel embarrassed at showing his pain.

He heard someone whispering, but the words were lost in the world of grey that surrounded him.

……………………………

Nathan Svein had not expected to come across anyone in The Meadow. He'd rented the shack of a house because of its location, not for the scenery, but for privacy.

Now that privacy had been breached, and in the most unlikely way imaginable. After all, how often did one come across a half-dead boy?

Nathan was hardly more than a boy himself, at seventeen; he was still gawky and not used to his persistently growing limbs. Looking down warily at where a filthy head of pale hair rested against his shoulder, he realized his long arms were good for something after all, keeping the heavy boy from falling to the ground and adding to his already impressive list of injuries.

As he walked to the small building in the distance, Nathan wondered if what he was doing was right. Taking in a kid he knew nothing about could lead to trouble for himself…and all he wanted was silence.

By bringing this person into his house, he would be taking on a responsibility, and a big one at that. The injuries could have come from a gang, a drug bust or something else dramatic and lowlife.

He'd spent years trying to get away from that sort, the last thing he wanted was to willingly bring it into his house.

But…what would happen if he did nothing? He had no car, and would not be able to get a hold on one until the weekend was over. By the way the whelp looked now, and by the way he shivered, Nathan guessed he could be dead in a matter of hours.

And even though he might regret it later, he would try his best to help.

Taking a deep breath, Nathan kicked his front door lightly. The lock did not work well, it was rusty and bits had fallen off so that it did not take much force for the door to open. If it was not for him being in such a peaceful place, he might have been worried about robbers.

However, nothing had bothered him so far. No large animals, no neighbors, no disturbances until now, and the boy had to be lost. Probably wandered from the trail, or got swept downstream while swimming.

Yes, the matter of the boy still in his arms was nothing to be worried about. Nathan was perfectly safe.

……………………………….....

**Authors Note: **Ah, poor naïve new character, you don't know the Alex Rider fandom very well do you? No matter, you'll soon learn that trouble follows Alex like death follows a plague. My yahoo group will have the teaser for the next chapter soon, link is in my profile!

I have not updated this since July, I'm sorry. I went to Yellowstone after posting chapter nineteen, the awe was still there weeks after I got back home. It's beautiful up there around Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Colorado. I brought a notebook to write this story in, and ended up pressing wildflowers in it instead. At a high peak where snow covered the ground, (in JULY people), these weird chipmunks ate out of my hand, ^_^

The bison and baby bison got in the street at just stare at you as the honk the horn, I'm sure they were laughing evilly on the inside. We saw three bears, and, most importantly, I discovered sweet potato fries in Idaho…they're better than chocolate.

I'll be working on chapter twenty-one, which should be longer and I promise to update sooner this time. In the meantime--can anyone tell me what happened to K Unit and Yassen the Assassin?


	21. Chapter 21: Decisions

Chapter Twenty-one: Decisions

Time was nonexistent.

A blur of odd smells, sights and feelings. Words he could not understand, questions he could not answer, and worst of all--pain he could do nothing about.

At least he was unconscious most of the time, because then he could not feel the injuries that had put him in this state.

When Alex was awake, the pain made it hard to focus. Any control he had over his body had been taken away; he could not move or even focus his eyes. His arms and legs were heavy, weighed down and feeling like they were being pulled deeper into the mattress.

Someone laid a palm on his forehead, their touch gentle enough to allay some of Alex's fear. If this person meant any harm to him, the evil intent was well hidden behind that careful hand.

The hand moved away, and Alex momentarily felt at a loss before it with replaced by a cool flannel.

Water from the damp cloth rolled down his face, leaving trails of ice in their wake.

Alex knew he was sick. His body screamed it at him.

Flashes of fire, large stones that made up a wall and cloudy skies filled his dreams. They were constructed from glimpses of what he saw while conscious. Oddly enough, at some times during his dreams, he could taste the thick feel of oatmeal in his mouth.

Alex wondered why he didn't feel hungry as he dreamed of such foods.

There was something else as well…a person, or more specifically, a boy. Blond hair, that was lighter than his own, and wary eyes that stared at him with barely hidden curiosity, made up this person.

These memories and flashes only confused him, and with a loll of his head, Alex collapsed back into the welcoming darkness.

The nightmares greeted him. One would think that since he was safe, any dreams Alex had would be about safety…but how could he relax when he knew that five other people were still going through _that_.

And what exactly was _that_? It was torment and suffering and so much pain.

When his dizzy mind remembered the enclosed place, with its dark atmosphere and bad intentions, something in his chest ached.

………………………………...

The smells around him were of honey and smoke, as if a match had just been lit. In the background, there was a scratching noise.

Alex focused on this, pulling himself to consciousness slowly.

He was on his back. Eyelids weighed down with sleep, Alex blinked slowly.

The ceiling above him crisscrossed in heavy, wooden beams. Alex stared up at it, trying to understand through the haze that lay on his mind like a heavy blanket.

Everything was muted--the scratching sound barely noticeable it was so soft. Alex became aware of the fire that burned near him, his right side warmer than the left because of the heat it gave to him.

He turned his head restlessly, his eyes finding a window with pulled back curtains. The scratching noise stopped.

Faint creases appeared on Alex's forehead as he wondered where the sound had come from and why it had stopped. Soft footsteps answered his question as a moment later, as someone stepped up next to the bed.

At first, Alex thought someone was holding a mirror over his face. He knew he was frowning like that…but this boy had different eyes, innocent eyes; where as Alex's revealed everything he could never say.

The boy moved away and out of Alex's sight. He could hear water running and then the fire being stirred. Someone sat on the bed beside him and Alex opened his eyes, not remembering having closed them.

A cold and wet flannel was applied to his forehead. A hand touched his neck, and then picked up his limp wrist.

As the boy looked up, Alex met his eyes. The questions were there, but the boy did not answer them, and as blankets were pulled up around him, Alex found himself sinking again.

………………………………...

The third time he awoke, Alex was alarmed. Any sleeping or relaxants that were given to him had worn off by this time, and now all that remained was confusion.

He listened for the sounds of another person. In the distance he heard someone snoring gently. Good, he hoped they would stay that way.

Carefully, Alex opened his eyes and sat up. No pain went shooting up his back, his muscles did not complain--he was still sore, and tired, but this was a vast improvement from what he had been feeling.

Hesitantly, Alex tried to stand. He did not know where he was, or why he was there, but five people were waiting for him. K Unit and Yassen needed his help. It couldn't wait.

The blood seemed to drain from his face and his vision darkened, but he remained standing. Hands spread out lightly to keep his balance, Alex wavered as his vision cleared.

How long had he been sleeping? He had to move. People were counting on him.

Stumbling forward, Alex tripped over the edge of a rug and fell onto the floor not fifteen seconds after escaping the bed's confines.

His wrist stung with sharp pain as he landed on it awkwardly, and one leg kicked out to knock over the lamp sitting on the bedside table.

Alex hurriedly picked himself off the floor. Heart pounding, hand shaking with nerves, he made it across the room to the doorway--where he was intercepted.

Jerking back, Alex barely stopped himself from falling over and quickly leaned away from the reaching hand. Seeing his flinch, the boy withdrew his hand slowly.

"You okay?" he asked slowly, voice low as if talking to a frightened animal.

That annoyed Alex; he was not a broken creature in need of coaxing. He straightened his back and let his clenched hands loosen casually.

"Would you care if I wasn't?" Alex returned, voice just as quiet. The words were a test, and spoken out of curiosity.

In the pause that followed, Alex realized there was a raw pain in his lower lip. Bringing a hand up, Alex touched the soreness and his fingers came away stained with a little blood.

His eyes were pulled up when the other boy moved away to a nearby basin before reappearing in front of him with a flannel in hand. Taking it from his outstretched hand, Alex narrowed his eyes before putting it to his lip and turning to look around the room.

He was extremely aware of eyes drilling into his back. Who was this boy, and how much did he know?

The rooms were small, and Alex felt that the house the room inhabited was small as well. Over the bed he had escaped from, was a window.

Alex's hand dropped from his swollen lip as he stepped up to the window set into the colourless walls. He was still in England. That sky was the same one he saw every winter, the grey was deep and foretold of more rain.

Even now, at the edge of the field the cottage sat in, many trees still wept the rainwater from an earlier drizzle.

"I found you in a ditch, you can see where it runs beside the woods," the boy stepped up next to him and pointed out the window. Indeed, if Alex squinted, he could see where the ground swooped down. It looked like a darker line of grass that continued down the edge of the forest before disappearing from view.

"This land was owned by farmers; their crops circled this cottage and encompassed the field. That ditch you fell in was used to hold water and keep the plants from dying during the summer."

Bemused, Alex wallowed in confusion for a few moments. He glanced warily at the other boy, hoping to gauge his true feelings behind the easy words.

He sounded nonchalant, as if he came across half dead people all the time.

Half dead…that was what Alex had been. He'd felt the darkness creeping in even as hands pulled him up and back to life.

Blinking furiously to clear his mind and rid himself of the familiar dread, Alex cleared his throat. His legs were growing cold from standing still; they had probably not been used in at least three days as well.

"How long have I--" been lying on your bed, probably oozing blood and drooling mindlessly? Alex wasn't sure how to end that sentence, and so it hung, waiting to be finished by anyone.

"Been here?" the boy suggested. Alex turned to look at him with a nod.

As the boy thought, Alex glanced around for exits, wondering meanwhile if other people lived here.

Beside the bed, there was a small rubbish bin with bits of gauze spotted with dried blood. Alex's stomach turned, but he did not look away from the sight and took in the small bowl of pink water sitting on the floor along with the puddle around it.

"Eight days," the sudden sound of Nathan's voice made Alex start, and he looked up.

When he had taken in the words, Alex had another reason to be surprised.

"A whole week?" he said. The surprise in his voice made the boy frown.

"And an extra day," Nathan added.

"God," Alex muttered, his legs going week so he was forced to sit on the bed or collapse. "That long?" he asked himself, thinking of everything that could have happened to his friends in that time.

Nathan frowned at that, something making him displeased so he said fiercely, "Do you know what you looked like?" Nathan leaned forward so they were eye to eye.

Alex swallowed and licked his lip in agitation; the raw feeling was still there. His mind turned, reeling back and forth so he was forced to close his eyes. A whole week--and a day.

Surely Yassen and K Unit were dead by now?

"You--you should be _dead_." Nathan pressed, digging for some response.

"I know," Alex hissed finally, "what I don't know is who you are, where I am, and how I _am _still alive!" He sounded frightened, and Alex could not deny that he wasn't partially scared.

The boy took a deep breath before replying. "I'm Nathan, that's all you'll learn about me for now. You're in my house. And as to why you're still alive…" Nathan's mouth snapped closed and a faint blush stole over his face.

He then looked at the fire and away from Alex before mumbling something.

Alex frowned. Had he heard right?

He repeated Nathan's words slowly, "You…specialized in boys? Er--_what_?" Feeling suddenly horrified and in a stupor, Alex got off the bed and stepped back even as Nathan's eyes grew wide and he laughed in surprise.

"Ew, no! That's not what I meant!" he protested holding up his hands and stepping away as well, and Alex heard a bit of a Yorkshire accent in his tone.

Alex's keen eyes took in the embarrassed way Nathan held himself and the amused look in his eyes.

"Than, what did you mean?" he asked.

"I said, I specialized in first aid in Boy Scouts," Nathan rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the floor.

Alex blinked, "O…kay."

Nathan chuckled at that, "I got sent to America for a few years, got pressured into joining the Boy Scouts. The only thing I liked there was the first aid stuff," he shrugged. "It came in handy; you'd be dead if I hadn't known how to sew you up."

Alex winced and his hand went to his side, but even his hand hurt from where he had fallen on it earlier and Alex looked down at it, then at the other as well.

His wrists had fading bruises on them, some old from restraints but some were new.

Alex looked up, frowning and wondering where they had come from. Nathan had gone pasty.

"You thrashed a lot," he said shortly, "I had to hold you down, the first time the nightmares started, you almost fell off the bed." Alex nodded. He remembered nightmares, and screaming, but it was all very hazy.

"Sorry," Alex said, fighting down another blush and looking around the room again. The walls were adorned with pastel coloured paintings; he could see a glimpse of another room through the cracked doorway and again felt the urge to run.

He glanced up to see Nathan staring at him. The boy did not look away when Alex met his eyes defiantly.

"Where were you going?"

His brief try at escape had been interrupted earlier, and remembering that, Alex felt bitter for a moment. He could be halfway to a town by now, he thought, even though common sense told him he'd never make it that far.

"Home," Alex lied.

Nathan did not seem to believe this, and one eyebrow rose. "Back to the people that hurt you?"

Alex was struck speechless. Unfortunately, Nathan seemed to take that as an affirmative.

"I--what do you mean by that?" Alex asked him slowly.

"This," and here he waved at Alex's slight form, "has been going on for a while. I'm guessing abuse."

A hysterical laugh bubbled up in Alex's throat, but it came out choked. "Abused?" he shook his head. "No, I've not been abused--not by family at least. And I'm sane enough to know not to go back there."

Nathan turned to tend to the dying fire, but Alex heard the muttered, "That's not what you say in your sleep…."

His face flamed.

If he knew the other boy better, Alex might have repeated the sentence he misheard earlier. A joking, 'So you don't specialize in boys, but you watch me in my sleep, eh?' might break the tension, but Alex did not dare say it except in his head.

He still wasn't sure enough of himself. He did not have enough answers.

Why was Nathan alone, when he barely looked older than Alex? How much could Alex tell him?

"What do I say?" Alex challenged, crossing his arms in an unconscious move of defensiveness.

From his place where he knelt on the hearth before the fireplace, Nathan shrugged.

"Most of it was probably because of the painkillers--which were a pain in the ass to make you swallow by the way," he said, sounding accusing.

Alex rolled his eyes, "So sorry I was a nuisance, the broken bones and raw skin made me a bit irritable." Taking a deep breath once those angry words were out, Alex tried to calm himself before speaking again. "But, really, what did I say?"

In the middle of his miniature rant, Nathan had turned and stared at him. "You muttered the names of animals, mostly." He seemed reluctant to talk and _give_ answers, but curious enough to press Alex for responses to his _own _questions.

"Um…how did you come to get broken bones and--er, raw skin anyway?"

"I jumped in front of a car," Alex drawled, "Now tell me what else I said; I know you're not saying everything."

Nathan stood in a swift motion, dusting ash from his jeans. "You're probably hungry; can you make it to the kitchen?"

Alex brought a hand up to rub his temple; he did not appreciate the attempt to draw his attention away from important questions. What if he had talked of MI6 in his sleep?

But, he _was_ hungry. There was no denying that.

As Nathan led him to a kitchenette, Alex found another question to ask.

"You say I've been here a little over a week, but I don't remember being awake for long periods of time. So how come I'm not dead from starvation?"

Nathan shot him an amused look, "I fed you of course."

Well, if he had been hoping to get an answer that would not embarrass him, Alex was dreadfully let down. At least he had enough blood left in his body to blush, if Nathan hadn't found him…well, the red soaked flannels and pink water basin in the bedroom told Alex he would not have lasted long on his own.

"I would have been surprised if you had remembered," Nathan said as he opened the breadbox. "Most of the pain relievers made you sleepy, even when I tried to feed you, you tended to close your eyes."

Alex watch as the older boy pulled out jam to spread on the thick slices of bread.

"I guess I should thank you you for saving my life and all," Alex said slowly.

Nathan stopped spreading jam, placed the knife down and crossed his arms."If you really want to thank me, you could answer some questions?"

Lips firming into one thin line, Alex met his eyes, "Will you answer mine?"

Thinking that over, Nathan turned to the pantry to bring out two glasses. They had flowers painted on them, although most of the paint seemed to have come off leaving stalks with disfigured sunflowers upon them.

As he filled them with water from the tap, Nathan spoke. "How about this, I'll ask you a question and you can decide not to answer, but in that case, I get to ask another, and you _must _answer that one. The same goes for me, okay?"

"You want to play a game?" Alex asked, just to be sure.

Nathan shrugged, "I'm sure as hell not learning anything by the way we're currently doing things."

"Maybe I don't want you to learn anything about me, ever think about that Sherlock?" Alex snapped. A pain in his side, horribly injured hand, and many others places had started to flair lightly.

Nathan put one glass down on the counter-top with a sharp _thud_. "In case you've forgotten, you're in my house, and you owe me your life. If I want the answers to a few tough questions, you have no right to deny them to me."

Alex held his breath, not out of fear, but from anger.

"And if you can't do something so simple…then, you'd better leave," Nathan said. With that, he picked up the plate of sandwiches, his glass, and headed to the living room adjoined to the bedroom.

As soon as he was gone, Alex's fists relaxed and he slumped to the floor. Staying upright had become a hassle during the verbal war. There was a pain in his head that had grown to encompass all of him.

There were three chairs sitting around a small table just a few footsteps away, but Alex was not sure he could have made it that far without collapsing.

He had to think on what to do next.

When he'd first awoke, Alex had wanted to escape. Now that he was more conscious and aware of his condition, Alex knew that wasn't possible.

A week could make scratches heal, but he had wounds that would last forever.

He didn't have forever though, in fact, if they found him, it would only take one single bullet to end his life. When and if he died by the hand of one of his previous capturers, Alex would be taking information about K Unit and Yassen with him to the grave, and that could lead to their death.

Alex heard the footsteps, but that was not enough to make him take his head out of his hands. The headache had worsened.

Nathan stopped in the doorway, Alex's back towards him.

He heard the other boy take a deep breath, then, he moved forward. "Come on," Nathan said, placing a hand under Alex's arm to bring him up.

"The painkillers wore of then, eh?" Alex gave him a baleful look which Nathan just grinned at. "Have you made up your mind?"

Alex nodded slowly, "Would you mind if I stayed here a bit? Just so I can…get things together?"

"Yeah," Nathan replied, the answer so simple and his voice so trouble-free that Alex was taken aback.

"Oh," Alex replied, wishing he did not feel at a loss.

Nathan gave him a strange look, "What, you thought I'd say no?"

Alex shrugged wishing he didn't feel so weak as he let Nathan support him and lead him to the sitting room.

"You have every reason in the world not to," Alex muttered, and then hoped Nathan hadn't heard that. No reason to make him more curious and ache to ask more questions than Alex wanted to answer.

Since he had decided to stay just long enough to gather information on where he was, how to get to town and hopefully get a good meal in his stomach, Alex figured he would have to answer some of whatever Nathan asked.

They sat on the couch, Nathan offering him a sandwich and a glass of water with a gesture. It took a few minutes for Alex to relax enough that he could enjoy the taste of food in his mouth, and even then, he held himself warily.

"So," Nathan said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve in a comfortable manner. "What's your name?"

Alex briefly considered giving a fake name, just in case worse came to worse sometime during his stay. After all, could Nathan really be trusted if he learned too much?

Nathan saw him hesitate, and with a scowl, placed his sandwich down and wiped his hands on his jeans. Expression unpleasant and back stiff, he did not look at Alex as he spoke.

"And I'd appreciate if you wouldn't lie to me…."

Embarrassed at getting caught, Alex nodded, "I'm Alex Rider."

Nathan searched his face for guilt or hidden emotion, and when he found none; his hand was put out for shaking. "Nathan Svein, nice to meet you."

That was when the tough questions started.

**Authors Note**: Got any questions you'd love to see Alex answer? Tell me and I might be able to write them into chapter twenty-two.  
The 'specialized in boys' line is for those who immediately thought Nathan and Alex would get it on, *laughs helplessly*. I promise, as perfectly cliché as that would be, it won't happen. Although--wouldn't it have made the story interesting if Alex had woken up with amnesia? Heh, I could see a lot of bad drama if I had followed that idea.

"Who are you--hell, who am I!?"

Well, you see Alex…you're a normal teenage boy--except that most everyone you love is dead and you've been blackmailed into working for the government! Alex? Uh oh…. My yahoo group will soon have the teaser for the next chapter, a new monthly newsletter and a new poll, ^_^ Link is in my profile!


	22. Chapter 22: Tough Questions

Chapter Twenty-two: Tough Questions

Chapter Summary: Nathan realizes just how much danger he's put himself in by taking Alex into his house, and Alex gives him a choice.

…………………….. …

"Who…put you in this state?" Nathan asked, looking slightly reluctant but also unyielding.

Alex didn't think the boy could have asked a more knotty question. To explain the scientists, Sawyer, and the many other perverse people, if they could be called such, who had tormented him until he frayed at the ends…it would take some time, and quite a lot of stress relievers on Alex's part.

"Er," Alex faltered, feeling as if he was cowering away. "Could you ask a different question, just for now?"

Nathan looked like he quite wanted to refute that request, but when Alex cringed at an imaginary pain in his side and clenched his eyes closed as if trying to stay conscious, he gave in.

"Fine, a simpler question," Nathan thought out loud, then asked with an undertone of joviality, "you kept mentioning animal names in your sleep, remember? You knew what I was talking about when I first brought it up to you, so…tell me what the names meant."

Feeling rather triumphant that Nathan was credulous enough to accept his performance, Alex granted him a satisfactory answer. He did not even try to make it laconic, and felt better for it.

"The animal names are like code names, and before you begin to say how dim-witted that sounds, I assure you, it's the truth." Alex took a small bite of his sandwich, enjoying the rich peanut butter and imploring his stomach to keep it down.

"I said Wolf, Eagle, Snake and Fox in my sleep, right?" Alex asked, thinking those words would help to prove he was not pulling this out of his arse, but Nathan just looked confused.

"No," he said slowly, "you said raccoon, bear and mongoose…."

Alex stared. "Oh. I don't know why I would--"

But Nathan's resolve for staying formidable broke under Alex's obvious puzzlement.

He cracked a grin, "I'm joking. You said Wolf, Snake and the other names. Mentioned a 'Yassen' as well, but I was not going to mention it until I knew you were set on telling me the truth."

The urge to obfuscate any future answers, or not answer them at all, was heavy in Alex's mind. He settled for scowling at Nathan.

"Oh, come on!" Nathan reproved him, seeming to forget he was the one who had wanted answers so badly in the first place. "This sounds like it's going to be really angsty, if I can't have a little fun, I might as well get a box of tissue already!"

Alex could not deny that his recent history was full of anguish and odium.

Nathan, not sensing Alex's less than pleasant thoughts, continued in his carefree way.

"Just be glad I didn't say what first crossed my mind, I was _going_ to say, 'No, you said lions and tigers and bears, oh, my!'" Nathan chuckled.

Alex averted his gaze, knowing that he would start ranting about how serious this matter was if he had to take in that grin any longer. It was not Nathan's fault, he had not dealt with such matters. In fact, Alex doubted he had anything less than an ideal childhood, complete with relatives coming over for Christmas and an over-bearing mother.

As if sensing that Alex was far from amused, Nathan's smile dissolved to a frown, and he shifted uncomfortably. "You know I was just joking, right?"

Alex closed his eyes, bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. He was starting to feel sleepy. If Nathan had not interrupted his explanation, he would have been too nervous to be tired, but he had, and Alex felt rather put upon because of that.

"Hey," Nathan said quietly, waving a hand in front of Alex's face. Smile completely gone now. "I'm sorry," he said when Alex looked at him. "I just...I've--I don't know what to do. When I'm nervous, I joke," he shrugged.

"Nathan," Alex said, a sigh coming from deep within him. "What I'm going to tell you is serious. You can't--this isn't a joking matter."

Nathan nodded, eyes widening just slightly. "Okay'" he said, "No more interruptions."

Alex nodded, looking for any humor in the other boy's eyes. Finding none, he took another hesitant bite of the sandwich and drank deeply from the glass before him.

"The animal names are what I called this unit of men, they're sort of friends of mine. I don't know their real names--" Alex paused, he did know, he remembered. "Well, I might know the name of some of them, but we're comfortable calling each other by code names. It's not as...formal, and seems less dangerous."

Nathan looked confused and Alex realized he wasn't explaining very well.

"Sorry, maybe you should ask a question," Alex said.

"These men, how do you know them?"

"I trained with them," Alex said.

"Trained...like, martial arts?"

"No," Alex said, a small smile on his lips. "I already knew martial arts."

Blinking, Nathan said, "Oh," very quietly.

"Mostly we learned how to read maps, use compasses, survive in hard conditions--"

"Things a soldier would learn," Nathan interrupted, "but you're not a solder are you?"

"Er...no, not really," Alex supplied, rubbing his hands together as a chill passed over him.

"Oh," Nathan said again. "Then this--training camp, you were sent there to become a what exactly?"

Alex took a deep breath, steeling himself and hoping what he said next would not get him locked in a building with no windows. He did not look good in white suits.

"A better spy," he said simply. One arm shrugging up as he bowed his head to look at Nathan through his bangs.

Waiting for an answer, Alex stretched his hand out, trying to act normal. He sat watching as his touch on the cold glass of water left foggy fingerprints. They faded as Alex removed his hand, still not looking at Nathan.

He was trying to give him time to ingest this information.

"A spy? Like, James Bond, 007, and all that?" Nathan asked, he seemed hesitant, like he was asking the wrong questions and thought that Alex would laugh at him.

Alex snorted softly, but not at Nathan, "Double O Nothing is more like it," he said. But when those words made an image of an injured Wolf appear in his mind, he could find nothing the slightest bit funny to laugh at.

"Um, what?" Nathan asked, having heard his words, but not understanding.

Alex decided to give him a bit of his history, hoping it would help. "That's what Wolf used to call me at training camp, Double O Nothing. It quickly caught on, I think it almost slipped out of the sergeant's mouth at one time."

"And he's your--friend?"

"Well, at the time I thought he was a complete bastard," Alex muttered, "but yeah, he's alright now."

Nodding like he understood, Nathan leaned slightly away from Alex, strung like a bowstring and ready to flee. Alex caught the motion.

Suddenly feeling like it was all for nothing, Alex said angrily, "I didn't tell you this so you could run, or send me off to an asylum."

Nathan looked offended, "Listen to what you're saying! A spy? Are you freak'in kidding me? You're a bloody teenager--"

"No, really?" Alex spat, quickly standing, "you think I don't know that? I'd give anything to go back to the way things were. I don't want to live like this!"

"Agh!" Nathan said incredulously. "Shut up and listen to what you're saying! It's completely insane. So no, I don't believe you. I think you're covering up the truth, and that was the first story your strange mind could come up with!"

Fists clenched, Alex's face became blank, his eyes as cold as glass. Nathan was struggling to stay seated, not wanting to appear intimidated by standing, but not liking the disadvantage in height.

Alex knew he had to apprise Nathan of the situation he had put himself in. Drastic measure had to be taken.

Any well trained military personal would have known Alex was preparing for something. His fists unclenched, usually a sign of anger leaving his body, but Alex's eyes were still hard. Within the same moment, he changed his stance from stiff and ready to bolt, to loose and ready to strike.

And strike he did.

It was insultingly easy to get Nathan in a position where he held no power. Alex may have been injured, both physically and mentally, and he could feel himself tiring before they had even started talking, but his instincts were wide awake.

In Nathan's left trouser pocket, there was a knife. Alex threw himself forward, his hand pushing Nathan forward and causing the boy to choke back a cry of alarm. Meanwhile Alex twisted his foot in-between the other boy's.

The effect made Nathan lose his balance. He tumbled face first into the sofa cushions as Alex freed the Swiss arm knife from his pocket, and with his other hand kept Nathan's head from thrashing.

Placing the knife in his mouth, Alex caught Nathan's hands and held them together in the small of his back.

He then took the small knife out of his mouth, undid the blade with a flicking motion, and held it to Nathan's throat.

The blade glinted in front of Nathan's eyes, the firelight from the next room catching it and causing it to seem all the more dangerous.

Alex leaned forward, his weight weighing down upon Nathan's hips and looked over into the boy's face. What he saw there made him check the boy's restraints.

Nathan looked furious, nostrils flaring as he breathed heavily from both trepidation and great resentment. "I should have known," he said roughly, words coming out muffled as half his face was pressed into the cushions. "You're a thief, or some druggie aren't you? What, mummy and daddy leave you in a dumpster? I understand now--"

Alex pressed the knife to Nathan's flesh, not enough to break through the skin of his neck, just enough to make him stop talking.

"You understand _nothing_," Alex said, a hysterical laugh trying to escape his mouth.

"I know you were lying," Nathan said, daring to talk even with the knife at his jugular.

"No, no, this proves that I'm telling the truth, don't you see?" Alex said, feeling a sort of panic coming over him. Should Nathan still think him a liar after this, he would have to run and his body said he was not ready. He was still too tired, and too weak.

"Listen, Nathan," Alex hissed, bending closer so he talked right in his ear. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. I've killed before, but not for money, not for drugs, and not because I like to see blood spilt. I _have _to do it. It's a matter of kill or be killed, but you don't have to die--not by my hand."

Alex licked his lips, they were chapped and close to bleeding once again. "How do you think I knew about the blade in your pocket?"

Nathan was taught with a sort of stillness that said he was listening intently. "I saw how your hand hovered over your pocket every time you got frightened or wary. When I first awoke and you saw me standing there, when I said I didn't want to answer questions, when I got mad at you--I was trained to notice details. There are seven ways to escape this house. The front door, the three windows, the chimney if I'm desperate, through the attic or possibly through the cellar--"

Nathan jerked in surprise, breath hitching and Alex smiled.

"Yes, I know you have a cellar. The entrance is in the kitchen, you took extra care to step over where the door to it is, even though it is covered with a rug and not likely to let you fall in--you scared of heights?"

Nathan's eyes narrowed and Alex chuckled at him, pulling the knife away slightly.

He didn't want to frighten him too terribly, just enough so he would become aware. Nathan was far too comfy, and things were about to get a whole lot more dangerous in his little cottage.

"A common thief wouldn't notice these things, and certainly not a common fourteen year old," Alex pointed out. "I got my injuries from a group of people who consider me a threat. They tried to beat me down, and I escaped again."

Leaning back, Alex took a deep breath. He was becoming a bit panicked just from his own words, and the worst was yet to come.

Putting his head besides Nathan's, Alex spoke slowly but fiercely. "Nathan, they realize now what they should have known all along. It would have been best to kill me immediately. I know too much, they will come after me, and they will find you. Do you have training Nathan, can you protect yourself?"

They both knew the answer.

"They will come with guns, they will come with dogs, and even if I run now, they will question you. Likely, you won't survive through the first five questions…I didn't think I would," Alex said, thinking of the scars on his back. "Now, you have a decision to make. I can leave now, and you can hope you'll survive through the week without my protection…or I can stay to gather my strength, answer the rest of your questions, and teach you how to defend yourself."

To give Nathan the illusion of security--and to lessen the sharp pain in his side, Alex removed the knife, let go of his hands and stepped off and away from the other boy.

Nathan wasted no time getting up. He was pale, a light shower of freckles across his nose stood out in the contrast.

When their eyes met, Alex folded the knife and tossed it gently across the room. It landed in Nathan's lap with a soft sound, looking for all the world like a peace offering--or a mockery.

Nathan was now fully aware that Alex did not need a weapon to kill. For all he knew, Alex could have already killed with his bare hands.

"I…I didn't want to do that," Alex said. "But do you understand now what you're involved in?"

"Just for saving your arse?" Nathan asked, bitterly.

"They've killed people for less," Alex said, placing his hands in his pockets to hide their shaking.

Sighing heavily, Nathan buried his face in his hands. "I think you succeeded, I don't think you're having me on, or that your insane."

"Well," Alex faltered, "I wouldn't doubt it if someone said I was off my rocker…."

Nathan snorted, "You'd have to be to not have gone crying to the press. How old did you say you were again?"

"Fourteen," Alex paused. "Actually, I think my birthday has passed--what's the date?"

Nathan was slow on the uptake, too busy staring at Alex in something akin to horror.

"It's February, the twenty-first," he said slowly.

Alex had to sit down, his head seemed to spin a bit. He felt himself falling, and knew he was sitting on something, but couldn't tell what.

"What is it?" Nathan asked, having moved a bit closer, but still quite wary.

"I," Alex gasped, feeling shock and a horrible dismay in his whole being. He'd seen the bathroom during his walk to the kitchen, and with a lurch, Alex headed there.

The shower/tub, mismatched floor tiles, and flowery wallpaper was all a blur to Alex.

Once he sighted the latrine, his stomach lurched again. He barely managed to lean over the edge before the little that he'd eated revolted against his will.

Gagging and spitting in disgust, Alex grasped the rim and tried to regain his breath. The shiverin started a moment later. Great wracking shivers that made him fold in on himself.

Alex did not try to stop them.

For once he wanted to wallow in self-pity. He deserved it.

Hearing the creak of wood as Nathan leaned against the doorway, Alex croaked, "I was wrong by two months."

Moving closer, Nathan held out Alex's cup. It was the one he'd so eagerly drunk from earlier, and hand shaking precariously, Alex grasped it.

Nathan grimaced as Alex took the cup from, no doubt imagining it falling to the floor and shattering.

Swishing the water around his mouth, Alex spit it out into the latrine and rinsed again. Aftertaste caused him to shiver, but Alex placed the glass on the sink, and stood without help.

"You should probably go sit down, or sleep for a while," Nathan said, sounding far from vehement.

Alex smirked and wiped his mouth with one sleeve. "So, you've made a decision--or are you planning on suffocating me in my sleep?"

Nathan raised an eyebrow, "You think I'd tell you?"

Shrugging, Alex turned to wash his hands. "I could hope," he replied.

Trying to stifle a sigh, Nathan crossed his arms and seemed to ponder on something as he stood there. Alex could feel his blue eyes drilling into his as he washed his hands.

Careful not to look up into the mirror that hung there taunting him, Alex concentrated on the compact dirt under his nails.

"I've decided," Nathan said at last, carefully pronouncing each word, "that you can stay _if_ you agree to teach me what you did earlier, and answer any question I have, no matter how bad the answer is. In return, I'll feed you and tend to your injuries."

Alex dried his hands, feeling as if the hand towel was the softest thing he'd ever felt.

"I can't help but think I have the better hand," Alex said. "You do realize what you're jeopardizing? You could run, they wouldn't waste time searching you up."

Nathan nodded, his chin firm. "It's my damn curiosity keeping me here, I think, that and…I'm tired of running."

Speaking of curiosity, Alex felt his rise at that comment. Nathan was running, from what? Certainly not the law--he really didn't seem the type.

At that moment, Nathan turned away, leaving Alex alone in the bathroom.

Tired, but feeling like he had to look, Alex grimaced and turned his face up to the mirror, not really wanting to see. He had not seen what he looked like in--two months? A month in a half at least, but he was not looking forward to it.

Knowing he would have to face his--er, face, soon, Alex looked up, hoping not to be confronted with baggy eyes and sagging skin.

His eyes were what Alex noticed first. They were still dark brown, with the inner ring of hazelnut, as Jack used to call the colour. Instead of appearing dead, older than his age, or anything horribly dramatic, Alex thought he just looked tired.

Worn down and in need of a good rest, Alex thought, noting his pale skin, the healing cuts and how his larger lip looked pouty from where it was swollen.

Even with his slightly large shirt, Alex could tell he'd lost weight. Curious as to just how bad he looked and how Nathan had sewed him up, Alex reached for the edge of his borrowed shirt and pulled it up and over his head.

With the warm flannel gone, Alex shivered and dropped the shirt to the ground.

He'd lost more weight than he'd first thought. His ribs protruded, and his stomach caved in slightly.

The scars were numerous and various is size and length. Black surgical thread had sewn up the worst. Looking at them, Alex felt decidedly uncomfortable--and yet, he had the oddest urge to touch them.

Jack would have called it male curiosity, but Alex just called it fascination. Would the thread be hard? It looked like metal, and around the stitches the wound was wet.

Whether it was from a sort of ointment or because the wound was irritated, Alex could not tell.

He tore his eyes away, running his fingers over scabs and raised skin, hoping they would heal. Amongst all of these new ones, Alex felt the most noticeable was his bullet wound scar.

He eyed it with resentment. The scar stood for two things, one was that he had been allowed to live, gracefully given another day on earth.

The other was that nothing so nice, it seemed to say that he'd survived now, but let this mark be a reminder; Scorpia never forgives, Scorpia never forgets.

They wouldn't stop until Alex was dead.

**Authors Note:** Next chapter: Nathan asks about Alex's bullet wound as well as many other awkward questions. And, Alex gets a chance to kick Nathan's butt--I mean, _teach _him. Cough. To all the reviewers who submitted questions, thanks bunches! I'm still open to them as there is one more chapter devoted to just that, so, send them in! I'm sure a few of you are getting anxious about a certain group of men, but _don't_. Suppress it, be glad Alex is getting a mini break, because it won't last long.

(Theatrical silence).

I think this is my favorite chapter! Fight scenes are very thrilling--even small ones. I loved the thoughts on Nathan, as my first original character to have a lot of lines with the main character--he's special, *pets*. ^_^ Does anyone remember me talking about NaNoWriMo? Well, I'm happy to say that I, along with many others, won! Sadly, I now need to edit and from glancing over it, only 25,000 words out of 50,000 are legible…I'm off to edit, any tips on self discipline when it comes to writing?

It seems I need to apologize to Alex, again. You see, I accidentally called him Harry in the last chapter, and to the three reviewers that pointed it out, thank you, *hugs* The teaser will be at my Yahoo group soon, check it out, link is in my profile!


	23. Chapter 23: Teaching Nathan

Chapter Twenty-three: Teaching Nathan

Chapter summary: Alex has two days to teach Nathan how to stay alive--besides turning and running away. He learns a bit about Nathan's past, and discovers he will be closer to saving K Unit than he thought.

* * *

Alex was standing in the same spot when Nathan returned to his previous post.

The cold countertop of the sink pressed into his stomach, and Alex glanced at Nathan in the mirror. Nathan's blue eyes were examining the injuries scattered across Alex's chest and back. Self consciously, Alex crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"I was joking about the whole 'specialized in boys' line, but if you keep looking at me like that I'm going to get suspicious."

Flushing, Nathan muttered in a challenging way, "Says the one talking about men in his sleep."

Alex laughed, glad that Nathan had calmed down to where he could joke again. He had not bothered to move from this spot for the last ten minutes or so, not really knowing what to do in this strange house. He wanted a shower, and after not bathing for a week, at least not without help, he felt a serious urge to do just that.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered in response to Nathan's jesting. "Hey, can I use your shower?" Alex asked, gesturing without need to the quite obvious bathtub and shower combo.

"I don't doubt your ability to bathe unconscious bodies," Alex carried on, grinning. "But, I'd rather do it myself."

Nathan nodded his consent, coming into the bathroom to fetch a towel and flannel from a cupboard. Handing it to Alex, he turned and showed Alex which faucet in the shower was which, told him to turn the hot water off hard because it leaked, and left.

When the door shut with a click, Alex got undressed and made good use of the hot water.

A good forty minutes later, fingers and feet wrinkled, Alex finally got out. He felt as though a year's worth of grime had come off leaving him feeling light and warm in the steamy bathroom.

Drying his hair with a rough motion, Alex wiped the towel around his waist, picked up his strewn clothes, and left the bathroom.

It was not until he was in 'his' bedroom of sorts that he realized there were no clothes for him to wear. Apparently, he'd unofficially borrowed some of Nathan's. The wrinkled and slightly smelly green t-shirt in his hand was too big, and the pajama pants threadbare.

Alex dropped the clothes to the floor, the fire burning nearby. He scratched his head and looked around for more clothes. Nathan was not in the room, and Alex was not going to search for him to ask for something he could easily find by himself.

There was a trunk at the foot of the bed. Pulling the clasp up, Alex opened the trunk…and stared in surprise at what he saw. A handgun lay on top of a quilt, appearing almost comical on top of the cheerfully sewn blanket.

Quickly closing the trunk back, Alex knew, he would not forget where the weapon was if he needed it. Feeling completely lost, he wandered around the room, surprised and unimpressed that there was no closet in the bedroom to be found.

Running both hands through his hair, Alex made a sound of exasperation, "Nathan," he yelled out, finally giving in, "your house sucks!"

Nathan stuck his head in the doorway a moment later, one hand up to cover his eyes if needed, "Why do you say that?" he asked, hand going down once he discovered Alex was decent.

"I can't find anything," Alex grumbled, "where do you keep your clothes? Er, you don't mind if I borrow some, I imagine the ones I arrived here in are rubbish."

Nathan grinned, "Yeah, I burned them. You stunk really bad. And no, I don't mind if you borrow my clothes. Look under the bed," he advised before turning and leaving the room again.

Kneeling, Alex looked under the bed, not sure what he expected to find. A suitcase with clothes still in it?

Instead, there was a squat dresser of sorts under the bed made of three drawers. Grinning, Alex opened them up and found the clothes he needed. Seven minutes later, warm and dressed in jeans and a warm, long sleeved cotton shirt, Alex was unsure what to do next.

His bed was not made, but that did not make it look any less inviting, and threatening people really took it out of you….

He threw himself onto the bed, guiltily enjoying the comfort of a soft bed. Deciding he might as well get a few hours of rest in before it was time to beat up Nathan, he curled up on his side.

* * *

Upon waking, Alex was true drowsy to feel anything but utter relaxation at one of the best nights of sleep he had received in months. The softest rays of sunlight filtered through the window near his bed, warming the covers and adding a sense of peacefulness to the already calm surroundings.

The second feeling was a growing awareness, and then, the horrible feeling of self-disappointment.

He'd had plans for last night, and now one more day was gone. Alex suddenly felt sick.

While he stayed in the safety of this ideal cottage, others were waiting on him. He could not use weakness and injuries and pain as an excuse for not seeking help for them, while his injuries still pained him, they had been much, much worse.

He climbed out of bed quickly, considering the chill on the wooden floor to be his punishment. Alex had to get out of here.

Walking out of the bedroom quickly, Alex found Nathan asleep on the couch. He watched with a detached revulsion as a pool of saliva slowing grew to an ocean on the couch cushion.

After a moment of this, he reached out and shook Nathan's shoulder, waiting patiently for him to blink rapidly and sit up.

"What is it?" He asked groggily, alarm growing on his face, "Everything's okay, right?"

"Yeah, don't get up, it's fine. I just wanted to know--how do you get to town?"

Nathan gazed up at him in bewilderment. "Er, my co-worker lives about seven miles away, he picks me up the days I have work and takes me in."

Alex nodded, saving all the questions that popped into his mind about Nathan's life for later. "And when will he be coming for you?"

"Thursday morning, around 7o'clock."

Alex nodded, wandering off for the bathroom and leaving Nathan to wallow in confusion. He took another quick shower, turning the water cool at the end to get the adrenaline rushing.

Strength would be needed, and what he lacked in that department he could make up for in enthusiasm.

A thick towel was wrapped around his waist as he headed for the bedroom and dressed in the same clothes he had slept in. Jack would not have approved, but then again, she was not around.

The smell of burning toast slithered under the door, and Alex ran the towel through his hair as he left the room. Nathan was scraping the burn marks off the toast, almost making a hole in every piece. Seeing Alex eyed them warily, Nathan winced, "Sorry, got caught up in thoughts. How exactly are you going to teach me anything before Thursday?"

Alex took a piece of toast, buttering it slowly. "I thought I could show you some exercises they will quicken your reactions and strengthen your muscles. Showing you how to do this will help me as well."

They ate a quick breakfast, and Alex wished it could have lasted longer. He doubted a lot could be taught to Nathan in the short time he had. Alex had been taught unknowingly all his life, how could that even begin to compare to one or two days worth of exercise? Especially considering Alex was not in the best shape himself.

It was tougher than Alex thought it would be, teaching Nathan that is. While he had unknowingly learned skills and strengthened talents throughout his life with a lot of help from Ian, Nathan had been brought up more or less like Tom.

He, however, seemed to have been popular enough in school not to attract the bullies, and therefore, he never needed to know how to fend them off. Alex probably would not have needed the skill either, but Ian had not really given him a choice.

"Nathan, you've got to block," Alex said, his patience wearing thin.

"I grew four inches this last summer, I feel like a newborn foal, so let me be!" Nathan grumbled back, nearly tripping over his own feet to dodge the half-hearted punch.

"It's winter," Alex replied, pointing out the window where it had started to snow lightly for effect. "You've had months to get used to your elongated limbs lambykins. Do you want to be led to the slaughter house? No? Then get up and hit me, would you?"

His excuse having been destroyed with the machine-gun power of Alex's sarcasm, Nathan's jaw stiffened and he stood straighter.

"Fine. Just don't start whining if I do land a punch, you're still sore, I'm sure."

Alex ducked easily, though by the thirteenth try, Nathan got irritated and started kicking as well. With the combined effort of both limbs, Alex got tired a lot quicker. There was only so much room in the sitting room, and Nathan's gangly nature suddenly seemed useful for something.

When the side of his foot connected with Alex's jaw, Nathan seemed torn between exhilaration and worry.

Reassuring him with a beaming smile, Alex rubbed his jaw happily.

"You're learning--or I have lost my touch, I'd rather think it was the first one." He joked.

"You're still hurt, I would not stand a chance against someone healthy."

"You will when I'm done with you," Alex said. Nathan began to look fearful for himself, and of course, that just made Alex grin. "Now, I want to see some pushups," he instructed, "but use the edge of the couch instead of the floor, it gives better leverage and forces you to keep your body straight."

They pushed the knee length table back to give them more room in the living room.

After watching Nathan for a few minutes, he felt rather silly and dropped down beside Nathan to do the exercise as well.

"So," Alex said suddenly, curiosity and a plan working its way into his mind. "Tell me why you're here?"

Nathan faltered, only fifteen pushups in, and struggled to straighten his arm back into its previous position.

"Why?" he asked, voice steady.

"It will help you to concentrate at two tasks at once," Alex invented, "you think one guy is going to stand back until it's his turn to beat you up?" He grinned ruthlessly.

"Well, no," Nathan said, "but ask a different question."

"An easier question? I think not, you asked for my expertise, and now you rebuke my teaching methods?" Alex stopped the pushups, dropping to the floor on his knees to cross his arms and raise his eyebrows at the slightly sweating Nathan.

"Fine. Whatever. My parents got divorced, and then my mum moved me to the US while my dad stayed here. I stayed in the US for a long time, but…anyway, I got up enough money and moved back here--illegally considering I'm not of age, then I got a cheap paying job and rented this shack from a guy with a gold tooth….happy?"

Alex was silent, then quipped, "We're kindred spirits, both are life's suck and we're slightly bitter!"

Nathan glowered at him, sweat dripping into one eye, "Not funny."

Alex rolled is eyes, "Who was it that said, 'This sounds like it's going to be really angsty, if I can't have a little fun, I might as well get a box of tissue already.'"

"Francis Bacon?" Nathan answered jokingly.

"No, it was you. Why did you move back here? And wouldn't moving in with your dad have been easier than all this?"

Nathan stopped the push-ups, taking deep breaths as he sat on the couch. "No, I just wanted away from all of them. I like it here, I'll stay 'till I'm eighteen then it will all be fine."

Alex was doubtful, but he just instructed Nathan to begin floor pushups.

"How are you going to save your merry band of beasties?" Nathan asked a moment later.

After figuring out he mean K Unit, Alex added, "And an assassin, you mustn't forget him."

Giving him an odd look, Nathan said, "I can never tell if you're telling the truth or if someone will scream, 'You're on Candid Camera!' as soon as I let my guard down."

Alex snorted, "Your guard was already down, I think the ass whooping I gave you yesterday is proof of that."

The sudden attack by Nathan, in which, with a laugh, he suddenly wrestled Alex to the ground. "See?" said a grinning Nathan as Alex's breath went out with a surprised whoosh. "I've learned since then, soon…I'll be a master."

"A master of stupidity," Alex grumbled, struggling to get out as Nathan ate his toast from atop his chest.

"That too," Nathsn admitted, letting Alex up.

"In answer to your question, I don't know. I'm hoping MI6 will do something about it--I just want to go home."

They worked on the basics of self-defense; Alex taught Nathan how to block with everything from ducking and rolling, to using furniture and the objects around you. It was amazing, Alex realized, he'd learnt a lot from Ian that he'd not been aware of.

How to walk on the balls of his feet, and in so doing, keep his location hidden. Alex noticed details, things that would pass in and out of other's minds quicker than a passing thought. He had known about the exits of this house with a quick walk through, noticed when Nathan felt nervous about his presence….

He owed Ian a lot, Alex thought. He could never repay the man--besides trying his hardest to stay alive, and thinking of this, Alex made a personal reminder to visit his grave.

**Important Author's Note:** I recently got chewed out for not updating in a long time. Which is understandable, heh, and you guys deserve a good explanation for my absence. So, to put it shortly, (because the entire story would take many pages), my parents are separating. I'm not living in my house, we packed up the necessities and left. I was not connected to the internet for a while, (but that did not stop me from writing). I hope that doesn't all sound too grim, because I'm glad it happened.  
In other news, I went to a sleepover that was held in a hotel, and the pool turned my hair green. That was two weeks ago…it's still green. You can bet a lot of Grinch, Shrek, and Green Giant jokes have been made, lol. :D

I'm working on a new story, (the poll in my profile is for voting on the best title), it's so great when you have a plot, but you don't know how to make it work--and then after many weeks of thinking it over, it comes to you when you've finally given up on it, lol. My inspiration, The Reduced Shakespeare Company, I love them on you tube. ^_^ I'll give you a clue about what the whole story is based on, "Et tu Brute?"

If anyone can give me a good, full idea on what the story will be based on, and the quote says it all, then I'll dedicate the first chapter to you! Thank you guys very, very much for reviewing, messaging, story alets, favorites, author alert and favorite author, I know it may seem shallow, but I love opening my e-mail and seeing someone has taken the time to tell me what they thought, (the good and the bad), I really appreciate it. I'm sorry that some reviews have not been answered yet; I didn't really have control over it though.

**Faint Hearted's teaser **will be posted on my **Yahoo Group**, link in my profile! Also, for news on stories you can check out my **Twitter**, link also in my profile! **Sawyer in the next chapter! **


	24. Chapter 24: The Sinister Objective

_Three days previous…. _

Guards were ordered to search the woods, and they had been doing just that for five and a half hours. It was cold, but with one less captive to take their anger out on, and a very important and expensive captive at that, the heads of the program had ruthlessly let them suffer while trying to blame anyone but themselves for the escape of Alex Rider.

The only one who had managed to steer clear of their relentless fury; was the one person who deserved it the most.

While many shivering men had trudged their way through the woods, snow slowly starting to fall during the third hour, Sawyer had been left alone to ponder.

Out of every other person sent to torture, both mentally and physically, he prided himself in knowing that he was the best. This came about through many years of schooling and learning by example. Besides studying the structure of the mind, which helped when it came to breaking a stubborn soul, Sawyer had witnessed death and the reactions of terrified men.

And although Rider was still young, he was smart. Sawyer knew he would find his way to the town.

Reaching for his desk, Sawyer took out a pen and paper from the only unlocked drawer.

Pressing the heavy pen down, Sawyer's eyes narrowed lazily as he carefully composed a letter of resignation. In between the seemingly emotionless words, he skillfully sowed insults for those here he thought unfavorably upon. While not as dramatic as say, setting a heavily occupied chemical lab afire (which he had done once already and anyhow, the second time doing almost anything diabolical never held quite as much thrill), he still liked to rub the salt in, per say.

This establishment would not soon exist if Rider had his way, and he frankly had no patience to deal with SAS teams flooding his workplace, there was too much to be done before he died. Like dealing with a certain escapee.

But, considering the brat's luck, Sawyer thought as he signed his name at the bottom of the sheet with a flourish, he'll have the place flooded with SAS men in a matter of hours. All the better reason to leave now.

Folding the letter and leaning it against a decorative lamp that sat on his desk, Sawyer grabbed his coat and took out a key from the inside pocket. Using it to unlock the other two drawers in his desk, he removed the two guns, extra ammunition and a set of keys.

Placing the guns out of sight at his waist, but still easily within reach, Sawyer glanced around the room and then headed out the door. They would find the letter soon, and probably considering it a matter of treachery or deception, they might try to kill him.

He had approximately forty-five minutes before the letter was found, and fifteen before they finally decided he had to be done away with.

There was no way of knowing if he had helped Rider escape, although the answer should obviously be a resounding _'No'_. Under pressure, others might say his extreme hatred for Rider was false, and considering the suspicious nature of the scientists, they would believe it and use him to blame for this disaster.

Rider was worth a lot, they had had plans for him. Those plans had been ruined, and there would be hell to pay if he was not promptly retrieved.

Using knowledge he had slowly compiled, Sawyer stole one of the four jeeps, and quickly but efficiently wired it to start. Driving out of the complex, the look on his face could have been easily recognized as smug…if anyone had been looking. But with anxious thoughts directed toward Alex Rider, and what would happen if he was not retrieved; no one did notice.

Meanwhile, a certain group of men were anxious as well. Some with weary eyes that drooped lower every hour, but none of them able to sleep for fear and strangely, because of a fierce ever growing hope.

…...

It was five in the morning at a certain cottage that hid between rolling valleys and the shadows of the forest. Outside the sun stayed concealed, not quite ready to begin its slow ascent into the sky.

Though he'd tried, sleep had not come easy to Alex, and he found himself thinking of things he could do little about.

It would be another hour before Nathan's ride came to pick them up, and it would take a while to reach town after that. But once they reached the town, Alex would make a phone call and all would be set right.

Or, he hoped it would happen that way. The possibility that K Unit could have been killed still remained, and Yassen…even if MI6 could get there in time before he died, his future would be dwindled away in a grimy prison cell.

Depressed by such thoughts, Alex stood from his bed and limped into the kitchen. His foot had fallen asleep somewhere within the last thirty minutes of staring at the ceiling.

Quietly digging through the pots and pans that stayed hidden under the stove-top, he found a kettle and put on some water to boil. Staring mindlessly at the still surface of the water, Alex started to drill his mind to wake it up. He thought about some of the requirements he'd had to pass while at Brecon Beacons. Simple things, like how to make a bed-roll, how to use a compass, how to get water in the forest, desert and other deprived places.

Actually, Alex thought humorlessly, things that seemed simple now had been bloody difficult then. And it had only been a year ago though it seemed like several.

"Couldn't sleep?" Nathan asked from behind him.

Alex blinked, noticing that he'd remained in his staring state though his mind had traveled somewhere else, he wondered if his lack of attention would be a recurring thing.

"No, but that's not surprising now, is it?" The shadows under his eyes reflected a weariness that sleep could not thoroughly heal.

He wouldn't truly be able to recover and move on until he knew everyone who could be saved was safe at home and probably being tended on by worried mother's or other family members.

Nathan reached around him and pulled the kettle off the stove, and stopped the heavy boil that Alex had not even noticed.

"I think you need something stronger than tea…like coffee," Nathan suggested, looking anxious, "Or even an energy drink, you can't be out of it like this when you-do whatever you have to do. If they are looking for you, you're going to have to be alert."

Alex didn't reply, and after a moment he distinctly heard Nathan whisper, "Or maybe a shot of whisky would be more appropriate."

Alex sighed, a small breath passing his lips as he turned and slumped into one of the seats at the small dinette. "You're right…and, no I'm not talking about the whisky. I'd like to think all those bloody bastards are still wandering around the facility thinking aloud, 'Which way did he go George? Which way did he go?'"

Nathan grinned down at his cup, pouring the boiling water onto his Earl Grey teabag, and inhales the distinctive, fragrant steam.

Alex stood up and reached into the cupboard for his own cup, choosing a tall one with a black and white pattern across the glossy surface.

"How will you get in contact with MI6?" Nathan asked.

Stirring his tea, Alex glanced at him. "I don't know," he stated truthfully.

"You…don't know," repeated Nathan, looking bemused.

Alex shook his head, pulling the long sleeves of Nathan's shirt over his hands to better hold it and pulling his knees up to his chest. "No, they never discuss how I'm going to keep in contact with them unless I'm on a mission. But I wasn't on a mission when I was kidnapped, just trying to go about my crummy little life."

Fingering the small hole in his blue jeans, Alex wondered what would be the best course of action. "I guess I could beg and plead," he muttered.

Nathan cast him a sympathetic look, not knowing how to help. The sound of gravel being crushed made Alex stand up and stare towards the door of the house, Nathan jerked at the sudden movement and then rolled his eyes. "Relax, it's just our ride. Are you ready to go?"

Alex glanced at the clock, surprised to see that their ride was fifteen minutes early.

"Are you sure it's him-" Alex was cut off by an impatient horn. The sound was repeated three more times, and Nathan grinned.

"No one else is that impatient, come on. The sooner you get to town the best."

"Um," Alex faltered, "I'm going to go use the loo, be right back," he lied and made for the other room. The carpet under his feet quieting his hurried footsteps.

Behind him Nathan groaned and called out, "Just hurry and pull the door behind you, I'll be in the car!"

Alex didn't respond. He past the bathroom and headed for the chest that sat so innocently at the end of his bed. Throwing back the lid, Alex carefully picked up the gun, and checked to see if it was loaded; it was.

Double checking the safety, Alex carefully hid the gun under his shirt and tightened the belt to keep it in place. It wasn't paranoia that made him steal it, by now he'd learnt that not taking advantage of _everything_; could very well leave him or someone else dead.

He shut the door behind him and ran towards the awaiting car. Climbing in the backseat, Alex glanced at the curly haired man in the driver's seat before buckling his seat belt that had been chewed on by some animal. The engine rumbled loudly, the interior smelling of some wet wool, but it was his ride to help and for that Alex was grateful.

"Alex," Nathan said from the front, twisting around to look at him, "this is Toni, Toni this is Alex."

Toni grunted a hello, looking tired and grumpy as he drove away from the cottage, leaving clouds of dust in his wake.

White hairs on the seat had started transferring to Alex's clothes. Pressing his mouth tightly closed, Alex picked them off. "So, what type of dog do you have?"

Toni glanced at him in the mirror, and Alex could see his dark eyes narrow. "What makes you think I have a dog? You been watching me?"

Blinking, Alex glanced at Nathan whose shoulders shook with silent laughter. "Er, no? I just thought you might own a dog…."

Toni snorted, "No, no bloody dog." Alex nodded, relaxing slightly as Toni turned on the radio and then to some boring news show. He drilled a glare into Nathan's head, and received a grin passed over a shoulder.

"Got a goat though," Toni said abruptly, "it usually sits where you are. I have to take her to the vet this morn'in…hope you don't mind some company back there."

And as Alex's eyes widened, Nathan's snickers turned into full blown laughter.

…...

Fortunately, Alex quickly discovered that Toni had not been serious about the goat and that the little act had been suggested by Nathan. After that, Toni was far more pleasant.

"You needed a stress releaser," Nathan said, "a good laugh, or something that would get that god-awful frown off your face. We made up the goat thing while you were using the loo."

Alex's small smile froze, Nathan's words making the skin of his abdomen burn where the gun touched him. He tried to recapture the smile, noticing that Nathan had caught his look in the mirror.

"Your brilliance exceeds me," Alex drawled, catching the twitch of Toni's mouth as he fought back a smile.

The countryside was beautiful, light green hills divided with dark green bushes. Alex looked down as they crossed over a small wooden bridge and underneath them the water shone with a silver light.

Nathan had told Alex the town was small, and he was right. It was made up of about fifteen shops, mostly for tourists on their way to view the countryside, a car shop, postal station and if what Nathan was telling him was correct, the police station was just a block away.

He'd have to walk, and could not see it from where they were, but the weird feeling in Alex's stomach was a mix of anticipation and worry. A few apartments were built above a café which appeared to be the most popular attraction.

People milled about, and Alex searched their faces with cautious eyes as Toni pulled to a stop beside the car shop.

They got out, Toni heading inside with a wave of goodbye to Alex and it was only then that he noticed the oil and grit stuck under the other man's fingernails and the way he entered the back of the building. It was with the attitude of someone who had done it many times before. He'd been doing his job for a while, and Alex wondered if Nathan would stay with this job for the same length of time.

Coming around to where Alex stood, Nathan reached into his pocket and dug out several pounds and held his hand out.

Frowning, Alex eyed the money in the outstretched hand. "I know for a fact that you're broke and you won't get far without some cash."

Alex hesitated, he highly doubted that Nathan was plentiful when it came to income. The idea of taking more from him then he already had, because surely Nathan was happier before Alex barged in bringing all his drama with him, did not appeal to him.

"Don't make me shove it in your pocket," Nathan warned, "that'd give old lady Higgins a heart attack." Nathan jerked his thumb behind him and Alex peered over his shoulder to see an older woman with pursed lips watching them suspiciously.

"I don't want to take your money, Nathan-"

Frowning, Nathan leaned forward. "Seriously? Don't make me hurt you, Alex-and no, you don't need to point out the dubiousness of that statement."

Taking the money, Alex bit back a sigh and looked up to meet Nathan's eyes. "Thanks, you really did save my life by taking me into your home. And thanks for not tossing me out after I told you my crazy story, not many people could have done that. I'll try to repay you one day, If I see you again."

Blushing lightly at the praise, Nathan cleared his throat. "Yeah, well…sounds like the world needs you."

Folding the pounds up, Alex tucked them into his pocket. "Sometimes I wished I wasn't needed, it would make my life a lot easier."

"Can't deny that," Nathan said, heaving a deep sigh. "Maybe they'll lay off you," he suggested.

Alex raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "They will, but only for a few weeks. Just long enough for me to rebuild my mental walls and assure myself that I can stop living like I'm going to be attacked any moment. Then, they'll subtly threaten me and I'll bend."

He gazed down at his damp trainers. They had not completely dried from his stumbling walk in the rain a few days earlier and his socks were itchy and seemed to stick to his ankles like a second skin.

_I should have been home, _Alex thought, _I should have been with Jack eating ten minute meals, making plans to go out with friends-not trying repeatedly to take just one more step before collapsing in an unconscious heap._

Alex tried to contain his sudden fury at the unfairness of it all, lifting his head to gaze past Nathan's shoulder at some newly planted trees. A few immature fruit hung from several branches, looking like cherries but too dark to be so.

Nathan had not noticed Alex aversion to the subject, and continued to press. "There's only so far you can bend before you break-"

"You think I don't know that?" Alex interrupted quietly, looking away from the trees. A troubled smile made his eyes darken, misery in their depths.

Shifting uncomfortably, Nathan looked guilty. "I'm sorry. I just wish I could help. It's not right, you should be able to live life normally."

"What's normal?" Alex snorted.

"_Not _spying for the government for starters," Nathan returned quickly. "Having a girlfriend would really help too."

The sun shone down, warming the back of Alex's neck. "I almost had one, but then she was kidnapped because of me and-well, I don't see her very often."

Not certain that Alex was serious because honestly, there was only so much that Nathan could believe, he just stared.

Grinning, Alex stretched out a hand, "I'd better go, thanks for everything."

Nathan clasped the hand and pulled Alex into a quick hug. Though he was surprised, Alex hugged him back.

"Go on then," Nathan said, punching him lightly in the arm. "I got to get to work, and you've got lives to save." He turned then, retreating into the building with a quick wave before he ducked inside the back door.

Turning on his heel, Alex shoved his hands into his pockets and made for the police station. The plan was hastily made up, questionable and subject to change-but it was all that Alex had.

At the time, any plan was better than none. If he had walked into the police station, blurted out his story and expected to have the officers listen to him, he would have been sorely disappointed.

So, he had to _make_ them listen. Or better yet, since a scrawny beaten up teen wasn't very intimidating, he needed to present them with evidence they could not turn away from.

What that evidence might be, Alex still wasn't sure of.

Curious glances made him stand taller though part of him wished to scrunch up his shoulders and hide. He saw a few people widen their eyes or blatantly stare as his worse-for-wear appearance along with the notable marks on his face were noticed.

_Good thing they can't see the rest of me,_ Alex thought with a sarcasm that wasn't born from humor. His hand alone was enough to make anyone wince, it had mostly scabbed over, but not before becoming infected as Nathan had told him.

It and many other injuries had been treated the best they could by the older boy's hands, and that was something else Alex needed to find a way to thank him for. Even if he had managed to crawl into a hospital, there would have been no way to pay for their care-and Nathan had given it for free.

The pavement under his shoes was a nice feeling, it was unmoving, stable, something he wished the rest of his life would be. As Alex passed the many shops, he took notice of the smell in the air.

Breathing in deeply before he could check himself, Alex realized one of the things he had missed the most these last few months. Sweets. He came up to the café, never once thinking of entering, not when time was of such great importance. But he did quickly take in the shining faces of the people.

All of them with someone else, either spouses, friends or lovers…everyone had somebody. The building radiated warmness, the smell of rising bread, fresh coffee and other unknown scents making his mouth water.

Then, a flash of silver caught Alex eye. A utensil catching the light of the sun as it dove into some warm pastry perhaps, but then it shone again, and Alex had the suspicious feeling that it was to get his attention.

Even as his head turned, a hand seemed to clench his gut. It was a feeling he'd had as a torturer explained what was about to happen to him, or the feeling he received when bad news was the only thing one could expect.

His brown eyes narrowed in on the utensil first. An innocent butter knife being waved back and forth in a lazy motion, almost teasingly or mockingly.

Having frozen in front of the shop without realizing, Alex's eyes trained up that arm. The short sleeved shirt allowing him to see every single scar and bruise. And to his horror, he noticed how familiar some of them were, familiar because he was the one who had put many of them there.

Stumbling back as recognition caused his face to pale and his hands to shake, Alex jerked his eyes up to the face. Every fiber of his being screamed for it not to be true but as he took in that smirk, and those cold, cold eyes…he knew he couldn't deny it.

Sawyer had found him.

As he watched in a horrified awe, Sawyer put his knife down to tuck his hand under his arm and with his other hand raised his coffee cup to Alex. Taking another step back and away from the shop, Alex forced himself to move.

Sawyer swallowed the contents of the cup in one long swallow, placing the delicate china down with force before standing up. He straightened and turned away from the table with purpose, heading for the door.

And as for Alex, he ran.

**Author's Note: **I'm so mad at Horowitz. Finally read Crocodile Tears, met a potentially great character that seemed to care for Alex's well being-then watched in horror as he was shot. Seriously? Now that I've said that, I can apologize for the cliff-hanger. It wasn't supposed to happen. Should you happen to spot mistakes, please point them out to me? Thank you for reading, ^_^ Please review, they're fuel to me, and I really appreciate the feedback and questions.


	25. Chapter 25: Preparing to Plot

Running from danger and even probable death was something that Alex had quickly became accustomed to. Unfortunately for Sawyer, that stopped here.

Right before he turned to head down the side street, Alex glanced back. His breath bated at the sight he saw. With a confidence that was not feigned, Sawyer strode down the pavement towards him. His eyes intent on Alex's face, a smirk curling his lip enough so that Alex could see his teeth.

Like an angry animal right before it tries to bite you, Alex thought.

To unnerve him even more, Sawyer had one hand on the inside of his coat where he no doubt clutched a gun.

Around them, a few townsfolk were unaware of the danger they could potentially be in.

Sprinting around the corner and almost running into a phone box because of his haste. Alex looked for places he could hide. The police station was too far away, he would be shot if he tried to run there.

This street was rather empty compared to all the rest, and seemed to be used more as a parking lot considering all the vehicles parked on both sides of the street.

Knowing that he had just a few seconds to hide, Alex hastily got down on his front beside a dark car, and crawled underneath. He pressed himself against the curb, as far away from the edge of the vehicle that faced the street as possible. The smell of asphalt was strong in his nostrils, reminding him of burnt rubber and oddly enough, of riding his bike to school in the morning.

It was unlikely that Sawyer would look here, in this cramped hiding spot, but also put Alex at a disadvantage. He couldn't move very well, and Alex was starting to curse himself for not thinking faster.

All those days kept safe in Nathan's cozy house had made him lazy.

Alex listened intently, in this position he had to rely on those senses other than his eyesight. The sounds of laughter and voices had dimmed…or perhaps the beating of his heart was frowning them out.

Closing his eyes to focus more, Alex breathed in quietly as possible.

He heard someone walking up the pavement toward him, their walk slow and even.

Alex's hand closed around the handle of the gun as he fought the urge to hold his breath. Even if Sawyer was all the way on the other side of the street, it would still be too close for comfort.

The sound of footsteps was faint; but even then, Alex knew who they belonged to. Then the steady sound of Sawyer walking away, paused.

Alex forced his eyes closed.

His hands found the gun in his pocket; and Alex pulled it out, the cold metal a comforting feel in his hands.

The reverberation of Sawyer's soles could be heard again. Each step echoing the thump of Alex's heart. Sawyer was crossing the street slowly, as if he suspected a trick.

Instead of passing the steady stream of vehicles that lined the pavement, Sawyer walked beside each car, pausing to peer through the windows of each. By pressing his cheek to the ground, Alex could see Sawyer's shoes just a few cars away.

Alex hadn't been so scared since his time in that dingy cell, just waiting for himself or a friend to be led to their death.

Two cars away now, and moving ever closer. Alex slowly leveled the gun so it pointed where Sawyer would soon be standing. His finger gently touched the trigger.

Brown boots filled Alex's vision, he could see where the laces were wearing old and the dark brown of rich earth stained the soft leather. He aimed the gun for Sawyer's right ankle, laying sideways to do so.

Just a moment before the man would have moved away, Alex drew in a sharp breath and fired.

The gunshot sounded extremely in the quiet town, but before Alex could consider this in too great a detail, he was pulling himself out from under the car.

Sawyer had fallen to the ground, and was trying to get over his shock to fetch the gun that had flown out of his hand when the bullet pierced his skin.

His expression was no longer smug, and Alex felt a surge of satisfaction.

Standing up as he finished crawling out from under the car, Alex stood looking down at Sawyer and aimed the weapon. Sawyer went still, his face a mixture of pain and a look Alex couldn't describe.

"You should have left me alone…" Alex muttered darkly. His expression and steady stance not betraying the nervousness he felt. No one had come running yet, but with the police station so close, someone _must_ have heard.

Sawyer seemed to seize him up even as one hand tried to stop the flow of blood that came from his foot. He looked him slowly over; from the battered trainers up to his hardened brown eyes.

"You look well."

"Yeah, no, thanks to you," Alex retorted, keeping his gun aimed at Sawyer's chest while circling around to pick up the other weapon.

The laugh that emerged made Alex clench his jaw. Nothing good ever came from Sawyer laughing. He tried to calm himself with the thought that soon, very soon, Sawyer would be behind bars and the only time he'd ever hear it, would be in his nightmares.

"True, you owe me no gratitude. No, that all belongs to the young man you rode into town with…am I right?"

A surge of fear caused Alex to snarl, he aimed both guns at the smirking face of Sawyer.

"You leave him alone!" Alex spat.

Sawyer raised an eyebrow, "I'll take that for a yes-"

"-why did you even bother to come look for me? Are you going to try and take me back?"

Sawyer shrugged, unmoved by the weapons pointed at him. "There are people who still would like you dead, and they want to see your corpse before they pay. They don't care who the delivery man is."

Alex breathed in deeply, "You followed me for your own reasons then, for money? Not because you were told to?"

"As surprised as I am by your capabilities to understand basic verbal communication, yes, you're correct."

Scowling, Alex gestured with one gun. "Get up, and walk into that alley. Do anything stupid and I'll shoot to kill."

Staring at him, Sawyer took longer than Alex liked. With an injured ankle, it was soon obvious that either Sawyer could not walk, or that he was acting.

Alex narrowed his eyes and growled, pocketing one gun, he grabbed Sawyer's collar and forcefully dragged him into the alley. It was hard work, too hard for Alex's liking and he knew that as weak as he was, there would be no way to pull Sawyer the block or two it was to the Police station.

The alleyway was dark, but in here it was less likely that anyone would see Sawyer until Alex could get the cops. He didn't dare force Sawyer to walk up the street to the police station at gun point, that plan would no doubt work against him.

"Pull the laces from your shoes," Alex ordered, a third way up the alley. Sawyer did so, but with a glint in his eyes. "Now, throw them here and place your hands behind your back."

Again, Sawyer followed orders, but this only made Alex even more cautious.

Picking up the shoelaces, Alex walked behind him carefully and tied Sawyer's hands together tightly. They strained, and Alex was satisfied by their tightness and the slightly uncomfortable expression on Sawyer's face.

Searching Sawyer's pockets, Alex found a set of keys and without thinking he placed them in his empty pocket.

Then with a hesitating step away from Sawyer, Alex took a deep breath, turned and broke into run. He hoped that Sawyer didn't have any more tricks up his sleeve, hopefully he would remain there until Alex could fetch the local authorities.

He passed a older couple walking hand in hand, their easy gait and peaceful faces the exact opposite of Alex's. He heard the woman yelp in surprise as he passed them, his leg muscles being pushed to their limits.

Alex bounded over the walkway up to the entrance, and he entered the station panting.

A lady with short blond hair glanced up in surprise from where she sat behind the front desk, but quickly regained the composer needed for her job.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her polite expression faltering into worry once she took in Alex's damaged appearance. Her nametag read Clark, Alex noticed as he took in his surroundings with a couple furtive looks.

The room looked like a hospital waiting room, clean colors, sterile appearance, with a few watercolor paintings of ocean scenes on the walls.

Approaching the large, rounded desk, Alex ran a shaking hand through his hair, it came away with a bit of blood on his palm and Clark frowned, her neat eyebrows furrowing.

"Er, yeah, som-someone just tried to rob me," Alex said haltingly.

"Oh, where did the attack take place? Are you seriously injured?" she asked, turning slowly to her computer.

"I don't know the name of the street, and I'll be fine-I tied him up but he could still escape," Alex said anxiously.

"You…tied him up?"

Alex laid his hands on the desk, as if it was the only thing holding him up. "Yeah, I had some defense taught to me, but he could break free-"

Two officers entered, talking to each other both with a cup of coffee in their hand. Seeing Alex, they stopped talking and walked over to him.

"Officer Pollider," Clark said, "this young man said he just fought off an attempted robbery, perhaps you and Officer Donalie could check it out?"

They both nodded, the one with Pollider on his tag swallowing the rest of his coffee and throwing the paper cup away in a nearby rubbish bin. "Of course," he said, "where was the man last seen?"

"The boy says he tied the man up," Clark said, raising an eyebrow while glancing at Alex.

"Did you?" Pollider asked, turning to Alex and looking impressed.

"Yes, sir. But he could get loose, I've never had to tie someone up before," Alex lied, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Take us to him-"

"I need to enter his name in the computer, I never got it," Clark interrupted.

"Alex Rider," Alex said. Clark nodded as she typed.

"Okay, now you can go," she said, looking away from the screen before smiling at them.

With one officer in front of Alex, and the other bringing up the back, Alex left the station and walked back along the road to get to the alley. He wished he could run instead of this quick walk, but the presence of the officers made him nervous. What questions might be brought up once they got to Sawyer, and how the hell was Alex going to explain the bullet wound in Sawyer's ankle?

"Why did this man go after you? Were you walking alone?" Officer Donalie asked, speaking for the first time. He had red hair, his expression sterner than Pollider's, but he also seemed younger. Perhaps lack of experience made his distrustful, Alex thought as Donalie waited for an answer.

"I was going to the house I'm staying at after visiting some friends at that little café," Alex invented. "They told me there wasn't a lot of crime here…."

Alex rounded the corner into the alley where he'd dragged Sawyer. He decided he could say that Sawyer had shot himself while they fought-but then they'd ask where the gun was.

His worries were forgotten however, when he saw the man kneeling very near where he'd left Sawyer.

This, however, was _not _Sawyer. Beside the man, who Alex realized was only a few years older than himself, a girl was talking hurriedly and clearly upset. At their feet lay a few knotted shoestrings.

Passing Alex, the officers walked over to them.

"He's gone," Alex spoke. A curl of dread made him groan, frustration and anxiety mixing in his stomach.

Confronted with the quandary of running off to look for the bloody bastard, and sticking near the police, Alex chose the latter. Let Sawyer go, he just needed to get in touch with MI6, and quickly.

"What happened here?" one officer asked the young lady while the other tended to an apparent head wound on the male.

"We were just going for a walk, but we heard someone calling for help-he-he told us he'd been attacked. I swear we didn't mean to do anything wrong, when Philip cut his hands free he just lashed out. He had a gun-"

"Another one?" Alex blurted out, wondering how in hell he'd missed the fact that Sawyer had two guns.

"What do mean? You didn't say anything about a weapon," Pollider snapped, helping the injured male up as he glared at Alex.

"Was he even searched?" Donalie asked, and upon receiving a negative answer, Alex was told to put his hands on the brick wall.

He internally groaned, the gun he had idiotically left in his pocket felt like a hot poker. When Pollider found it, Alex heard the woman gasp and Pollider cursed. Alex suddenly wished he'd chosen to just take off after Sawyer.

"You're under arrest for underage possession of a loaded weapon."

"Okay, that's fine, as long as you take a good look at my profile on your computer, I don't think Clark read it over very well before she let me walk out."

"Is this a confession of some sort?" Donalie asked suspiciously.

"No, moron," Alex said scathingly. "It's just me telling you to look me up in your records."

"Start walking," Pollider ordered before Donalie could do something painful to Alex.

"We need to take a statement from you, miss," Donalie said reluctantly.

"I'm surprised he got away at all," the man, Philip said with a wince as he gently touched the bleeding bump on his head. "His ankle was bleeding, looked like he'd been shot."

Alex really could have added another bump to Philip's head as both officers stood up just a bit straighter, Donalie's hand even straying to his gun.

"I'm escorting Rider back to the station, wouldn't be a bad idea for you to follow me," Pollider growled. Alex let the older man grab his arm and lead him back up the street, a blush of pure frustration tinting his cheeks.

From behind Alex heard Donalie, Philip and the lady following. At least he wasn't shoved into the back of some car, with the station being so nearby it wasn't really needed.

They entered the police station, just to have Clark walk hurriedly toward them. As soon as Alex saw her face, he knew she'd discovered something about him, and it probably _wasn't_ his favorite color.

She hissed something in Pollider's ear, and the man went still. Alex clenched his fists under the incredulous gaze that slid to him.

"I'll put him in a holding room." With that, he pulled Alex away from his co-workers and the two civilians who were watching confusedly.

He was showed to a small room with no windows, but it had a bed and a loo. Alex didn't argue, he didn't say anything in fact as he entered the room and heard the door shut behind him firmly.

Alex wasn't sure just how much these people knew about him, but he didn't think they knew that he wasn't the bad guy here.

With a sigh, Alex sat on the bed and buried his face in his hands. He took a few needed deep breaths, trying to clear his mind of all the unwelcome thoughts. When he no longer felt like screaming curses, Alex took the time to study his new prison.

It was an unpleasant reminder, the room that Alex had been forced into. With no windows or a clock to give him some guidance about just how much time had passed, Alex felt lost.

…...

"Mr. Rider?"

Alex opened his eyes from where he'd been lying on the bed for the past several hours. He hadn't been able to fall asleep, with his mind full of bad situations that have and could happen and memories of another, much dirtier cell.

Now Alex wondered if his uncertainties and anxiousness had grown to the extent that they could speak. Turning his head to the side, Alex took in the man that stood there silently.

He looked to be in his early forties, with a light tan and an unpleasant expression on his face. As the man looked Alex over, his expression grew irate.

"Nice of you to show your face, in the time it took you to crawl into view I could have found fourteen other people-and earned five times as much."

Leaning against the doorway, the man didn't wait for a response before plowing on with his verbal attack. "I've been looking for you for months, missed three bloody holidays." He frowned, looking at Alex as if he had done him a great injustice.

Alex considered him, a low irritation in his gut forming to outright anger at the patronizing nature of the man. He sat up, scornful words fully formed and ready to be spat out.

"Your not doing a very good job. I had to be apprehended before you even showed up, so if you ask me, I saved myself."

The man scowled, "I was less than forty miles away, I would have found you even if you hadn't been stupid enough to get arrested. If you would've just stayed still I could have found you sooner, hell, I could've found those bloody guards of yours who went missing as well. Mind you, they should all be shot for losing the one person they were assigned to watch-"

From behind the man, someone cleared their throat.

"That will be all, Mr. Waurn."

The colour that had filled Alex's face the angrier he got, left it in a matter of seconds.

Mrs. Jones entered the room, her eyes abnormally cold as she gestured for Mr. Waurn to go. He nodded, eyes cutting into Alex one last time before he turned to leave.

There was a moment where Alex stared at her, and she looked back, seeming apologetic.

"We did not find it necessary to tell Waurn your entire situation. To him you are the kidnapped son of an imaginary mayor who was taken and your guards with you."

Alex couldn't have cared less what the unpleasant man thought of him, and he said so with some imaginative expletives. Mrs. Jones raised an eyebrow, but Alex hurried on with an altruistic manner.

"Are they still alive?"

Alex's voice cracked in the middle, and his hands grasped the itchy wool coverlet as he held himself still, waiting.

Mrs. Jones hesitated, then came closer. "Alex, we were beginning to think you had died. We had sent out someone to find you, but we haven't heard from them in quite a while. The search had been put on hold-Mr. Waurn was only kept on because…Ms. Starbright asked me to keep the search for you going. I didn't think it would be right to tell her no."

Alex stared, "Jack?"

Mrs. Jones nodded, her eyes lingering on Alex's injured hand before moving on to another injury as she talked. "Yes, she was extremely distressed when you were taken. She's been very patient, we haven't told her that you've been found yet. I thought you'd might like to tell her in person."

Alex stood up, "Yeah, of course I want to-but you've got to get the searchers back! I know where there at, it's this large complex hidden in the woods. We've got to hurry too, they didn't feed us, and the last time I saw them K Unit and Yassen especially looked like death warmed over-"

"Yassen Gregorovich?" Mrs. Jones said sharply.

Alex hesitated, but he'd already messed up, and so he nodded. "Yes, but he's a victim too! He _helped_ me, and the rest of K Unit. Please, can you send a team to help them now?"

Looking at him searchingly, Mrs. Jones took a while to answer. "We don't know the exact location of where they're being kept. Even if you could direct us on how to get there, we need to know the layout of the building."

Mouth going dry, Alex nodded slowly. He never wanted to enter that cell again, the same went for the entire complex. This was bigger than him though. It was about loyalty, to himself and to his team.

The probability of Alex forgiving himself if he didn't do his damnest to help wasn't very high either. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if any of them died because he got there too late….

Alex remembered the words he had said angrily to Wolf while in the cell. _"What else can I do, Wolf? If I can't put faith in someone coming to save us, then what's the point in living any longer?"_

He doubted Wolf had grown any trust for MI6 since he'd last been there. But the word of Alex's escape must have reached them, and they knew that Alex wouldn't let them down-they had to.

"I know the layout roughly, I'll be the guide."

With a sigh, Mrs. Jones closed her eyes briefly. "I'll arrange for you to leave within the next few hours. First, you're going to be seen by a doctor. That man Sawyer is being searched for, is it likely he'll go back to complex?"

Alex shook his head, "I don't think so, it sounded like he left without permission. Apparently if someone kills me, Scorpia is going to pay them once they see my corpse."

"I'll get you the right clothes, in that case," Mrs. Jones said, and Alex knew that soon he'd be suited with a bullet proof vest.

Mrs. Jones nodded, her fingers going to the edge of her black jacket to straighten its already straight edges. "I'm sorry it took so long, we sent out several detectives in the most likely areas you could have been taken to. We didn't think Scorpia would try anything else-"

"It wasn't just Scorpia," Alex interrupted. "There were other people, I don't know what they call themselves, but there was one lady named Careen, I don't remember if she gave her last name or not."

"In any case, I'll have her looked up. This will not happen again, we're in the progress of destroying Scorpia. It will take time, and it won't happen quietly, but it must be done."

"Can we go now?" Alex asked anxiously. "I barely got out alive, and I was treated better than the others. They could be dying."

"Right," Mrs. Jones waited until Alex reached her side, then gave him a very small smile.

They left the room, Mrs. Jones walking beside Alex and past the front desk.

Upon seeing them, Clark abruptly stopped talking to Pollider in a way that told Alex exactly who they had been talking about. Pollider nodded respectively to Mrs. Jones, but when he saw Alex, he looked uncertain.

They walked out the front door, and headed straight to the car that waited for them.

"This is irrelevant," Mrs. Jones said as she opened the car door and moved over so Alex could sit as well, "but I wanted to say that I'm very proud of you Alex, you've shown more bravery than others twice your age. Thank you."

Speechless, Alex silently buckled the seat belt, and only glanced up as they pulled away from the police station. "You said in just a couple of hours, right? Then we can go get them?"

Mrs. Jones nodded, "It shouldn't take no longer than that. You'll be protected of course, it shouldn't require much work on your part-"

"You've said that before," Alex muttered, and Mrs. Jones blinked before making a short 'hmm'ing' sound and reaching into her pocket to draw out a peppermint.

Alex snickered shortly at that last action, earning him a curious glance but no comment.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I've acquired a meeting room so we can go over the plan with everyone involved at one time. The doctor should be waiting for us, and I've asked someone to fetch you some better clothes, besides the obvious protective wear."

Alex looked down at the clothes Nathan had lent him, and picked at a few loose threads.

"When I escaped, I wasn't in the best condition," Alex said. "Someone found me half dead lying in a ditch."

Sharp eyes went to his face, and then glanced observantly at how Alex was fiddling with his shirt.

"And how much does this individual know?"

"Er," Alex bit his lip.

"Alex…" Mrs. Jones said with a sigh.

"Well, he deserved to know. So I might have told him _just_ about everything," Alex said, wincing a little at the silence that followed. "He gave me the clothes off his back!" Alex added, tugging at his clothes for emphasize.

"That would explain the smell," Mrs. Jones said quietly, and Alex gave a sharp laugh. "I'll be making a trip to visit-what is this man's name?"

"Nathan, and he's seventeen. I really don't think he'll tell anyone though, so could you not be all scary when you go and see him?"

Blinking, Mrs. Jones unwrapped another peppermint. "I don't know what you mean."

"He helped me, reluctantly at that, but if it wasn't for him I'd be dead twice over. So do me a favor and don't scare the shit out of him with scary government talk."

"No promises."

They pulled into a parking lot. Besides their vehicle, there was only three other cars, but they were vans and capable of carrying at least six men each.

Alex got out quickly, eager to learn the plan and get K Unit and Yassen back to safe grounds. He knew that if everything went right, this nightmare would be officially over in less than two hours…that was _if_ everything went as planned.

**Author's Note: **By a show of hands, how many people know it won't go as planned? Two, four, six, eight…dude, why's your hand not up? Think you're too cool, huh? *Glowers* For those who raised their hand-you're all wrong. Alex saves K Unit and manages to look dashing the entire time, Yassen adopts him and they get together every Sunday for a nice cuppa!

Isn't that better than watching Alex kick Sawyer's ass? Phhss, who actually wants to see _that_?

Big, towering, and almost scary, thanks goes to you reviewers, favorite'ers, story alert'ers, and favorite author'ers! I really appreciate the feedback, and how you don't make fun of my made up words, ^_^ Please review and tell what you like, don't like, and the mistakes you've spotted! Teaser will be posted on Yahoo group per usual, I might even tell you if Nathan dies or not-oh, darn, did I say that aloud?


	26. Chapter 26: The Rescue

**Warning**: Minor character deaths.

With Mrs. Jones following, Alex led the way to the run down building. The shrubbery bordering the windows had not been trimmed in a while, and when Alex reached out to pull open the doors, they stuck stubbornly until he gave an aggressive pull.

Stale air filled his nostrils as the door creaked open to reveal a dusty room that once may have been considered welcoming. The carpet that lay on the wood floor was purposely chosen to accent the pictures and cream colored walls. The effort someone had put into the building seemed to have gone to waste with only MI6 using it.

Low voices reached Alex's ears from the double doors up ahead. From behind him, a firm but not uncomfortable touch made Alex glance back.

Encouragement was not something that Mrs. Jones often expressed with her facial features, but the quick squeeze of his shoulder she gave him worked as well as any encouraging smile.

Now he only had to wonder; just how much encouragement would be needed for this meeting?

The door opened with a brief but sharp creek that while slightly muffled by the many people talking, was still loud enough to alert all in the room of their presence. Alex guessed there had to be at least twenty men from various stations, most (if not all) armed and ready for the mission at hand...no, that wasn't true.

A group of five leaned against the right wall of the room, where the light from several windows did not quite reach.

From this shaded area, they were peering at Mrs. Jones and Alex, cheap styrofoam cups in hand.

Around the largest table, that equaled a pool table in size, several heads previously bent over maps glanced up as a hush fell over the room.

Alex caught several slight movements; curious glances exchanged, the hands of some more paranoid men twitched toward the nearest weapons-and then, there was the sardonic and amused smirks that Alex was most familiar with from the men in the corner.

He suddenly hoped it was water they were drinking.

"Mr. Rider."

Alex thankfully tore his gaze away from the still smirking group. Holding himself up with a stance that said he'd been in a leadership position for a while, Staff Sergeant Patel greeted Alex with a respectful nod.

Alex returned it, stepping away from Mrs. Jones as the man gestured for Alex to join him at the table.

"These are maps of the surrounding areas, they span about fifty miles from the first town you rode into yesterday."

Having been taught how to read maps like the ones splayed out before him, Alex easily found the town the Staff Sergeant mentioned. From there he could trace the way back to Nathan's house, and the woods that he had escaped from.

"Are we doubling as a babysitter service now?"

Alex abstained from rolling his eyes, and surveyed the man. He'd lost the styrofoam cup, and only one of the men that had been drinking with him still stood by his side. His hair was longer than the usual required length, and Alex couldn't tell if his eyes were gray or blue.

The Staff Sergeant's reaction was smooth, with an ease that came from dealing with difficult people.

"No, Macleod. That won't be needed. However, having a guard for Mr. Rider would be to the benefit of us all, and since you are qualified and have voiced interest in his well-being, I'm sure you'll fit the job just fine."

Perhaps sensing that refusing to comply to Staff Sergeant Patel's authority would have resulted in grievous injury to his pride, Macleod nodded stiffly. Patel turned away, speaking in a low tone to Mrs. Jones, who had come closer without Alex even noticing.

What Alex did notice, was how Macleod was watching him.

It was not out of interest, but with a domineering coldness that said, 'So, I'm stuck being your guard, and I don't like it-but you are also stuck with me, and you can believe I'm going to make every moment of it hell for you.'

Exasperated, Alex glared right back. It seemed he had to have at least one person in his life that made whatever job he was placed with difficult. Had Mrs. Jones known about Macleod? Was the hand she had placed on his shoulder supposed to give him patience, or encouragement to open up a can of whip-ass on whomever stepped in his way?

Their conversation over, Mrs. Jones solemnly thanked Staff Sergeant Patel and moved towards the exit. The scent of peppermint wafted under Alex's nose as she passed him, not acknowledging him, though Alex determined that this was for his benefit.

Macleod was still watching, along with several others. Anything that Mrs. Jones said, from assuring him that K Unit would be found, to saying that she would be in touch later, might have been seen as weakness.

Though Macleod's apparent self-flattering opinion did not leave Alex liking the man, he did not want to make an enemy out of his new guard.

"Not to seem like a disrespectful prat, because you wouldn't be here if you hadn't earned it-but why exactly are you here?"

The inquiry came from an almost gangly man standing near Patel. His hair was cut so short, that Alex thought his head was shaved until the thin layer of blond hair caught the light from one window. His name tag read Avery, and Alex immediately liked him.

"He's a guide," piped up one of Macleod's friends, in a voice that suggested the question was the very form of verbal stupidity.

"You're not from around here," voiced Avery. His stance suggested offhandedness, with his shoulders slouched comfortably and hands tucked in his pockets. There was no trace of annoyance in his expression as he looked away from Macleod's friend, who at once seemed to become smaller in disappointment.

Macleod snorted in derision, he shook his head. "Seriously? You're not even native to the area?"

It was obvious from glancing at Staff Sergeant Patel, that Alex would have to stand up for himself.

The man had immersed himself in some document, but there was a slight lift to his mouth that hinted at amusement. He was listening, waiting to see if Alex would back down at the sight of all this opposition and curiosity.

"My unit is being held at a stronghold hidden somewhere in these woods," Alex said calmly, tracing the basic area with one finger on the map in front of him before meeting the eyes of all those that were listening. "I can't tell you how to get there, that's not my job. I'm here to get you in and out of there in the quickest amount of time as possible."

"I still don't understand how you came to know this...stronghold, in the first place," Avery said apologetically.

Alex hesitated; then, strengthening his resolve he told them just how he came to know this building.

"Me and my unit were captured, held captive and-" a pang of remembered pain struck Alex and he clenched his injured hand that rested atop the table before continuing. "We were tortured through various means for what seems like months. Our capturers got too cocky as time passed. We were tired, hungry and losing hope. Unwittingly, they gave me a chance to escape, and I took it."

There was a silence that seemed heavy with the grim nature of everything Alex was speaking. Even Macleod had his head bowed, staring at the burgundy carpet under his feet that was dusty with disuse.

"My unit didn't get the same chance-I don't even know if they're still alive. I memorized as many details about the building as possible. I can get you to them; if you're willing to help without continuously questioning me, or doubting that I've earned the right to help in any way I can."

Guilt fleeted over a few faces like shadows, and Alex managed to keep a facade of patience up while he waited.

Avery was looking around, showing enough impatience for Alex and himself by the way he was shifting his feet and frowning.

A dark blond giant, not standing close enough to anyone to tell who he was friends with, suddenly grinned. He rocked back on his heels, arms crossing themselves before he began to speak, as if giving someone a chance to speak up before he did.

"I can't speak for anyone else, but I was ready to get the hell out of here about five hours ago."

Avery mirrored the giant's grin, "Leave it to Groceries to be the voice of reason." His joke led to several laughs and smiles, though Alex was left out from lack of familiarity with the group.

"Ready to save people and then attack the nearest ice box, no doubt," an Irish accented man said. Alex caught Groceries trying to looked irate, but not being able to pull it off due to the grin that split his face.

"First thing first, men," the Staff Sergeant spoke up, "We've got four men out there, suffering even as you joke about what to do afterward. No one is attacking anything except for their assigned jobs. I'm not telling you off, but I want this mission to go cleanly and with not so much as a paper cut upon any of you, understood?"

Patel paused, and their were nods of affirmation and a chorus of respectful "Yes, sirs".

"Good, now suit up. We move out in fifteen." The men spread out, and Patel went to Alex's side.

"I've got a vest that should fit you. Though we should not need it, I'm not taking any chances, I've got a feeling Jones would skin me alive if you got injured just because I didn't arm you well enough."

This made Alex smirk, though Patel's words did not fit his own ideas of Mrs. Jones at all.

Along with the vest, there was also some cameo pants in dark green, and a pair of boots that Alex was grateful to see as he remembered running through the woods with all its brambles.

After pointing out a bathroom that he could change in, Patel moved away so Alex could have some matter of privacy. Alex almost reached the bathroom door before he heard Patel speak words that sent a chill through him, and caused his hand to freeze upon the doorway.

"Remember men, dangerous murderer Yassen Gregorovich may be captive as well, possibly in the same room with K Unit. We want him kept alive for interrogation if he's not already dead."

...

Finding Nathan's house was not near as difficult as Alex was beginning to think it would be. The streets all looked the same after they got out of the town. Old fashioned, not used often, and one had to travel for miles before anything besides farming animals and vacant fields could be seen.

Going on instinct had worked so far for Alex, and with a little help from Lapenski, who had lived in the town for about five years, they were confidently heading towards their destination.

Lapenski was on break from service due to a shoulder injury he'd suffered a few weeks ago, he had been requested to join the mission because of his familiarity with the area.

In particular, his familiarity with Ashwood Forrest that Alex had ran out of a few day ago. Even the name Ashwood sounded mysterious and slightly creepy, it fit, Alex thought.

He sat beside Alex during the ride, they were right behind the driver to give directions and behind them, sat a disgruntled but quiet Macleod. Besides Macleod, Avery leaned forward with his arms crossed over the top of Alex's seat.

"Sargent Patel mentioned Gregorovich was possible imprisoned with your Unit, before you escaped were you sharing the same space with him?" Avery asked.

Understandably, Alex hesitated about telling anyone anything about Yassen. To them he was a murderer, a cold-blooded one with no concern for humanity and without any matter of civility. While it was true that he had killed, and would probably continue to do so, Alex still felt a sizable amount of concern for the Yassen he knew. The part that had shown concern for Alex's own well being, the part that was almost affable and had saved Alex's life out of respect for his father.

While far from guiltless, Alex did not want to see Yassen injured.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to pry-I'm just curious about men like Gregorovich. His mentality interests me. I mean, I ran across him a few years ago, it was completely by accident. He had the chance to kill me, but he didn't," Avery shrugged.

Alex nodded, and then answered Avery's earlier question. "Yeah, I shared a cell with Gregorovich and my unit."

"Had you ever heard of him before? I'm kind of ignorant about how long you've been doing whatever the hell it is you do," there was some humor in the last few words, but no smile on Avery's face.

This time, Alex's emotions were clearly visible, though he did not know it until Lapenski peered at him worriedly.

"You okay, kid?"

Alex nodded his head in affirmative, "Yeah, fine."

They did not believe him anymore than Alex did when Ian tried to convince him that there was a Tooth Fairy.

"Um, yeah, I'd seen him before." Alex worried at the calluses on his hands that came from weeks of living like he had. "He-he killed my uncle."

This was possibly the worst thing he could have said to push any awkwardness out of the air.

"I guess you have a better reason to want him captured than anyone else here."

Alex shrugged, "I'm more worried about my unit...they'd better be alright."

It wasn't the complete truth; of course he was worried about K Unit, but his concern over Yassen was not just a slight worry.

As the vehicle pulled closer to the lone cottage that Alex had only left a day ago, the men gathered around Alex quieted. The seriousness of the mission laid heavily on all of them.

The thick line of trees that stood just beyond the ditch sent a feeling of foreboding all through Alex. He'd tried so hard to escape the citadel that was hidden in the woods, could he really force himself to go back?

The truth that ran immediately through his mind made Alex grit his teeth, of course he could force himself to go back, he had to.

Conceding to this point, and the imaginary images of his broken and bleeding friends, Alex turned his attention to the others.

They had all escaped the cramped quarters of the vans and were waiting for orders from the Staff Sergeant who stood by himself, surveying the woods. One of the men that had been drinking with Macleod earlier in the meeting hall joined Patel. He was taller than the Staff Sergeant, and bent down just slightly to talk with him. With their heads bent together, one pepper colored and the other a rusty red, they conversed for a few minutes.

The cottage was obviously empty, Nathan having already left for work-or perhaps meeting Alex had scared him badly enough for him to have left the country. Either way, from the partially opened curtains, Alex could see that it was darker than a tunnel inside.

"-leave you to it, Hansel," the Staff Sergeant said in a louder tone of voice to the rusty headed man who nodded and gave a respectful farewell.

"I'm taking ten of you with me, we're moving in on the target from a different direction," the second part of that statement was for Alex's ears who had missed the first part of the meeting earlier that morning.

He had not expected this. Some made up vision of them crashing through the woods, causing the sick bastards to flee had planted itself in his head.

"You can't," Alex said, and Staff Sergeant Patel raised an eyebrow. "What I mean is, I was told you can only get to the complex by helicopter-or walking through the woods."

"Ahh," Patel said shortly, before stepping closer to Alex and saying softly. "Son, they lied to you. More than once, and this is one of those lies."

He stepped away with an apologetic look. Their number of persons was seriously reduced as the other van pulled away with the Staff Sergeant following in a separate jeep.

That imaginary vision burst with an inaudible pop, and Alex frowned.

Macleod's little henchman, who Alex realized had weasley eyes to match his tone, had started trodding off into the woods. Though he had not managed to annoy Avery earlier, he quickly had Hansel stalking after him, anger showing in his face.

"Idiot!" Hansel snarled, jerking the other man around. "Weller, you're walking all over my tracks. You," he said slowly, "follow me, not the other way around. Keep that in mind, why don't you?"

Without waiting for an answer from a very embarrassed Weller, Hansel started walking further into Ashwood Forrest.

"Come on," Macleod grunted from where he had come to stand near Alex, not looking at him as if disgusted that he even had to be in his presence.

"Hansel's a professional tracker," Avery offered as Alex followed Macleod cautiously.

Alex nodded, stepping over the ditch he had fallen into exhausted beyond belief.

For the next forty-five minutes, Hansel proved himself to truly be professional. With watchful eyes that caught things Alex couldn't see, he led them to their enemies backdoor.

There was no cutting up, no insults or whispered conversations. Anticipation and the thrill of a nearby threat hummed in the air to an almost audible degree.

Macleod was a constant shadow. In the late morning sunshine, Alex could see his own shadow moving slowly through the trees making as much noise as any gifted thief. Then, tagging along behind like a bigger, more threatening thief, was Macleod. His earlier animosity was gone, currently pushed to the side to be used later.

Just as he remembered, the grounds of the complex were unwalled. No fences to keep them out, and if his memory served him right, there were no cameras either.

Hidden just inside the woods, the group of armed men surveyed the target. It was a new sight for all except one.

Alex grimly waited, he felt sick with nerves. His last conversation with Careen had started running through his head. "_Having lived in what I would assume the earthly form of hell would be like for the last month or two, you should have realized no one here cares about your life._"

Alex suddenly wished he had hit her harder.

"Rider, stay close to Macleod. We're not allowed to arm you," Avery sounded suspiciously annoyed at that.

There was a pause, and then with Groceries and Avery leading the way, they emerged from the woods. In a matter of seconds, they were at the door.

"The hall is lighted usually, but if they turned them off you won't be able to see a thing," Alex whispered helpfully.

Avery nodded and switched on the small but powerful light atop his gun. "Just in case," he muttered and then signaled Groceries in first.

The hall lights had been turned off, and even though he hated the way they glared-Alex would rather have seen them on, then be forced to wonder why they'd been turned off.

Did Sawyer warn them for some reason Alex couldn't comprehend? Had they fled and taken K Unit and Yassen with them?

Alex swallowed his fear as they moved down the hall, his shoes scuffing along the linoleum. The hall split into two, and Groceries and Avery looked askance at Alex who nodded towards the left hall.

When he had not been talking during the ride to the edge of the woods, Alex had been mentally viewing these grim halls, pulling out details to lead himself and the team through the complex.

There team split into two later on, as Alex directed them to where he thought most of the scientists and guards had spent their time. With the six remaining men, they traveled deeper into the complex, and it got colder and started to smell of mold and unclean air. Under his feet, the floor changed to stone.

"I'm getting sick of this already-and you spent more than a month in here?" The question was aimed at Alex, but Alex didn't know the name of the man who asked.

"You should have seen it before they remodeled," Alex muttered, and got no reply for his bad attempt at humor.

"Does this bloody tunnel ever end-"

"-I bet my radio signal is blocked off here."

Alex did not remember these dank halls being so long. For the sake of his own pride, and not to mention his friends that were depending on him, he really hoped he had not taken a wrong turn. It was so dark, even with the powerful beams of light, that Alex was hesitant with each step.

The longer it took, the more Alex worried. His teeth were gritted so hard that his gums were slowly starting to ache. The only thing he could hear was the slow, cautious sounds of breathing and footsteps.

"Where the fuck are they all at?" Macleod grunted. Alex glanced behind him and saw how Macleod's eyes shifted to the darkest parts of the hall, and how his fingers clenched at his gun.

Paranoia had started to set in.

Groceries noticed it first. Perhaps his nose was more sensitive, with a nickname like his, it certainly seemed possible.

He'd stopped walking, and Avery had raised his gun to point forward into the darkness.

"What is it, mate?"

Groceries' reply was grim, "I don't know, but I'm not looking forward to finding out."

They found out all too soon. The answer came in the form of a door that was partially opened. After exchanging signals that Alex tried and failed to decipher, Groceries ducked inside with Avery and another soldier following after.

The smell was stronger outside the doorway, but when Alex entered the familiar room-he was immediately overpowered by the scent. He saw Groceries turn away violently, his face puce. Gagging sounds followed, and it was then that Alex saw what the light of Avery's gun revealed.

In the very cell that he had inhabited a matter of days ago, lay what could only be human bodies.

They piled almost on top of each other, no respect given to them even in death. There was no denying it now, these were corpses.

Something was stopping Alex from looking away even though he desperately wanted to.

There was a rushing sound in his ears, bile in his mouth and a horrible pain in his chest-but he couldn't look away until he heard Avery yelling.

The raised voice made it through to him, and Alex blinked frantically trying to clear the image from his mind. Even with his eyes shut, he still saw them.

He barely realized he was moaning in denial as Avery shouted again, "Get him out of here, now!"

There was some startled movements as Macleod turned his gaze away from the sight himself, and grasped Alex's arm with surprising care.

"C'mon."

Shaking his head dazedly, Alex refused to budge.

"You can't help them now, you did your part by leading us here. Now let me do my part."

Again he tugged and Alex held his place. "Not until I know it's them for sure, I have to know-"

The lights of the complex came back on and the single light bulb in that cell sang with the buzz of electricity.

"God," someone muttered as the scene came into better view. Alex suddenly found he couldn't look away from Macleod's shoe. He could not look again-he _would not _look-

"We'll have someone look at them, until then, I'm removing you from the room as were my orders." With that being said, Alex was carefully but resolutely moved out of the room.

Sympathetic glances and respectful eyes turning away to look at the floor burned Alex's eyes until finally, he just closed them and trusted Macleod to lead him away.

...

He'd been waiting here where Macleod had left him for what seemed like hours. Alex leaned against the side of the van, sitting on the ground with one hand holding his head and the other useless in his lap.

They still had not told him anything.

One thing was blatantly obvious, the complex was empty. Abandoned before they had arrived with no sign as to where they could have went.

There was a plastic cup full of water sitting beside him. Alex couldn't even say who had left it there for him. Besides the cup, there was a flask of a liquid much stronger and more fitting for the situation.

Hansel had left that with a look full of meaning and a hand on Alex's shoulder that managed to convey everything he had not bothered to say.

The only one around now was Macleod who was still under orders to not stray too far from Alex. The long haired man stood at a distance, his back to Alex. Whether he was still angry about getting stuck 'babysitting', or giving Alex space in the the most literal way possible, Alex did not know or currently care about.

When Staff Sergeant Patel showed up beside Alex sometime later, both the cup and flask were lighter.

Patel did not make Alex wait any longer than he already had. "Those weren't your friends, son."

Alex didn't reply. No words could thoroughly show how relived he was, and yet how terrified he still felt.

"We found identification. First names were all that was given on most of them; Gove, Trey, Michael, I believe there was a Jerry. Then, there was also a Dr. Lenor. Do you recognize any of them?"

Alex nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know them-but you're right, they weren't my friends."

Patel nodded, a movement laden with seriousness. "We'll find them, son."

...

True to his words; they did find them.

Alex waited there, feeling more useless and sick with every passing moment. Dread that they would find more corpses seemed to sink into every pore of his being.

Avery had joined him at some point to relieve Macleod of his guard duty for a while.

Together they sat in silence. Though Alex had only taken a couple of sips from the flask, Avery had sniffed it soon after joining Alex, and then determinedly poured it out with a crinkle of his nose.

"Hansel won't be happy," Alex muttered.

"He'll get over it."

Nothing was said for a long while, the afternoon sun warmed their skin, though Alex was having a difficulty enjoying anything pleasant. Rubbing at his hands, staring at the ground and just hoping occupied him for many long spans of time. The complex was large, but surely they had searched it by now? Where were his friends?

Raised voices was what first alerted them. Cries for a medic had Alex sitting up straight, and Avery had already stood and moved away. He was back in seconds, grim but hopeful.

The speed in which Alex stood up had him leaning against the van with one arm, staring at Avery just as the man said what he'd been waiting and hoping so hard to hear.

"We found your Unit."

**Author's Note: **Hola mi amigos! The evil guards, and Dr. Lenor are dead-but who killed them? Hmm... For those who have stuck around during my absence to see how this story will end, I can't thank you enough! It's been a very busy year, and school is the most important thing on my mind right now as it is my senior year! It's apparently going to be grueling too, joy! (I start school Monday, wish me luck!) I never realized how bad peer pressure is until I started going to a real school after being home-schooled for all my life. I never cared before what I wore or if my hair was longer than average. I was blessed enough last year though, to get good grades and make a few friends, :)

I have not given up on any of my stories! My laptop died, it was very sad, I held a funeral. I've been writing in my e-mail account so that I'll have chapters to write no matter what computer I'm on, lol. I've started to write letters this summer to friends over the world, most of which are in Australia, (Aussies rock!) does anyone here do snail mail? :D  
I posted a new AR story called A Fool's Revenge, it's complete so no hast to wait for the next chapter! Thanks for all the patience and encouraging reviews! I can't believe this story is _finally_ coming to an end! How many of you have been here since the beginning? A show of hands! I was reading this story, and had to wonder...why did anyone bother reading this? *Grin* Honestly, I must have been a very grim, angsty fifteen year old to write some of this! Hahaha! **Next chapter**: They found K Unit-but are they all alive? Sawyer makes another appearance, so Alex still has a chance to kick his ass! Woo! Oh, and we see Nathan...poor, poor dear. No one liked him anyway-right?  
Taking the time to review, favorite, and put me on alert is really appreciated! Also appreciated, is the fact that no one has dragged out the duck tape to stop my long author notes!


	27. Chapter 27: Shortened Peace

_Raised voices was what first alerted them. Cries for a medic had Alex sitting up straight, and Avery had already stood and moved away. He was back in seconds, grim but hopeful. The speed in which Alex stood up had him leaning against the van with one arm, staring at Avery just as the man said what he'd been waiting and hoping so hard to hear._

_"We found your Unit."_

No words had ever brought Alex such relief, followed by a large amount of the same sickening worry. Were they alive and well? Or did they bare the same fate as Trey, Gove and the rest of them? The short walk from his adopted post beside the van to where the urgent voices were, seemed to take ages. Avery was never far away, always within grabbing distance if he feared for Alex's safety or what he might see.

The large walls of the complex towered above Alex as he finally made his way around the corner and was capable of seeing a vague outline of what currently held so many people's interest.

Plain and simple in size and color, the shack had managed to blend in with the woods around it. Though, now that his attention had been drawn to it, Alex found the blackened windows odd. This characteristic also managed to make his stomach clench. Just how long had they been in there, stuck without light, unable to see their surroundings.

Without heeding to Avery's attempt to keep him back, Alex moved into the group that had started to congregate around the current subject of all his distress. K Unit and the infamous Gregorovich had drawn the attentiveness of even the strictest of men. Those not currently occupied with an appointed job, gathered near the small building impatiently awaiting to see or hear of their outcome in this dangerous situation.

Most of the men easily parted for Alex to get closer, some even nodding at him with respect, recognition in their eyes. Many voiced their hope that K Unit would be well in quiet whispers, while other could be heard muttering that for 'Rider's sake' they had better have covered up the bodies if there was a need to do so.

Unfortunately for Alex, he caught the eyes of some of these latter men, and though there was hopefulness present, there were also those that would not meet his eyes.

When he finally breached into the clearing around the shack, Alex found that there was nothing to be excited about yet.

He had hoped to break free from the people milling about and see his Unit being supported heavily, but still standing, and they'd greet him with 'What took you so bloody long, Cub?' or 'And here I was thinking that _I _looked like Hell!'

Instead, there was only a darkened doorway in which he could see beams of light from torches, and hear hurried voices talking. None of the voices were familiar, and Alex found that he was shaking, but not from cold.

Alex felt someone step up close beside him. He tore his gaze away for the briefest of second to see the professional tracker, Hansel, standing there resolutely.

His earlier show of temper with the man named Weller had left Alex uncertain of him, but now his strong stance and emotionless face was a private show of support to Alex, at least this man had not already decided their efforts had been futile.

Alex followed Hansel's unwavering gaze back to the doorway and he stopped breathing.

Carefully, as if handling a dangerous explosion, or a newborn babe, someone was being carried out of the dark shack. Four men maneuvered a improvised stretcher out from the slim doorway; whispering cautious words, they avoided any dips in the earth that could cause discomfort.

They would not take such care if he was dead, Alex found himself thinking even as the wait to see which team member it was had him painfully paralyzed.

The makeshift stretcher only consisted of a blanket carried between the men, and as they laid the blanket down of the earth, Alex took a step forward. The hair was filthy, but it was still light in color, and as Alex openly stared at the obviously unconscious figure, he took in the characteristics that could only be linked to Snake.

That one step was all he allowed himself as a man with a First Aid kit knelt beside Snake. He picked up Snake's wrist to check his pulse while one of the men who had helped to transport Snake relayed medical information already decided upon inside the shack.

"Extremely malnourished…infected….others that are worse…."

The few words he could make out relieved none of the pressure that weighed on Alex's chest.

Groceries was one of the men that helped to carry out the next man, and as they set him down, Alex realized that the impossibly still figure was Fox. Taking notice of his watch from afar, Groceries came over to Alex and placed a large and heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Unless you're scared to, you have permission to get closer to them," he whispered.

Mockery was not present, and Alex was aware that maybe he should be afraid of just how bad off all his friends were, but he could not decide to avoid them because of this fear. He stepped away from Groceries as his lead like feet seemed to move impossibly slowly to their side.

He fell to his knees in the middle of them, first taking a good long look at Fox, whom Alex felt he had a closer connection to. There was a gauntness around his face that he himself was familiar with. The eyes that were closed peacefully had horribly dark circles, his lips were chapped and tinged with blood…and yet, his chest rose and fell.

Alex grasped onto this knowledge like a lifeline, and just to reassure himself, he placed his own scarred and trembling hand on top of Fox's chest. Feeling the movement made the sight of Fox breathing real, it was not just a mirage created by his own tired mind.

His own ability to breathe suddenly seemed more difficult as Alex found himself choked on relief and fatigue. He turned next to Snake, though pulling his hand away from Fox was difficult as he had searched and hoped for _so damned long _that they were alive.

Snake was a similar story, he was thin, possibly thinner than Fox as he had the disadvantage of an already lean frame. His breathing, the medic told him, was not steady at all. The infection that Alex had heard mentioned could be seen through the large rip in the lower portion of Snake's shirt.

The blood had clotted as it should have over the wound, but dirt or some other foreign substance was causing it to puss from the sides. Alex took Snake's hand in his own as guilt overwhelmed him for jumping first to Fox's side when Snake was worse off.

His skin was hot; heat radiating off of him and sweat rolled down the contours of his face as a fever rose to fight off all the wrongness in his body.

"Are they going to be okay? What's taking the others?" Alex asked the medic.

The young medic had done all he could with Snake, and moved quickly over to Fox's side. His first aid kit was the size of a suitcase, and filled to the brim with antiseptics and bandages.

Though he did not at first appear to care about patient confidentiality as he muttered symptoms under his breath, and complained that this was not a one person job; at Alex's question he had gone silent.

Decidedly against sharing his opinions with someone conscious, the medic finally answered. "They've been through a lot; in cases like this, even those that seem well at first can have swift declines."

Wishing he had never asked, and just stuck to his childish notion that, no, of course they wouldn't die-because they couldn't die, they just couldn't, Alex rose to move to the newest person brought out.

Yassen was handled differently than the others. His blanket had three men to maneuver it out, two men on the ends of it and one with the material from the middle of the blanket gathered in his fists. At least two of the men seemed tempted to drop their corner regardless of the consequences, and if Yassen's injuries were increased due to this-that was just a bonus.

Even knowing that the respect he had worked to gain might diminish, Alex still never hesitated when it came to kneeling at Yassen's side.

There was no one who could say he misunderstood who this man was, the cuff around one of Yassen's hands shone with a metallic glint. Macleod was currently beside Alex, roughly bandaging Yaseen's injured wrist and hand so that he could cuff it as well.

He did not question Alex, but there was a firmness in the way that he had set his mouth that told Alex enough.

"Are the handcuffs necessary? He's unconscious, and even if he wasn't there's not a snowball's chance in Hell that's he'd bloody get up and prance away."

Macleod dropped the bandages, one of the tightly wrapped rolls of gauze rolled off of Yassen's chest to lie on the blanket.

He leaned over, his face inches apart from Alex and said in a hushed but vehement tone.

"It's my job to assure the safety of _my _friends. You've had your moment, we found them, and now I'm going to make sure that this bastard gets his time locked away. He doesn't deserve my favor, and I'm not going to show weakness by mistakenly deciding to not cuff him. You'd be surprised what a man can do when his mind is made up-even one as out of it as Gregorovich."

Alex knew exactly what Yassen could do with his determination…a particular memory of the man overcoming death was brought to mind, but he would rather have his fingernails pulled off than admit that now.

Macleod spent another moment staring at Alex, his closeness was starting to become disturbing, and Alex was starting to wonder what the onlookers would make of this when the man finally backed off. He seemed to have realized that the man he was taking such care to keep contained and harmless, was in a very good position to stab him.

That would of course require a knife, but at the moment, Alex would have quickly supplied one.

Macleod met Alex's cautious eyes as he cuffed Yassen, there seemed to be a sense of finality in the way the cuffs went '_click!_'. He gave a smirk before moving away with one last disgusted look down at Yassen's unmoving body.

Even with his current condition, Yassen was the very definition of the composure and Alex hoped that nothing would cause him to lose that admired characteristic-such as a life committed to a grimy prison cell.

The sound of a helicopter closing in on one's self is not easily forgotten, and Alex had heard it several times in his life. As he stood up to finally move away from Yassen, the helicopter came into view.

"Sir, are those two ready for transport?"

The inquiry about Eagle and Wolf, whom Alex had still not seen, came from the medic and though he'd asked someone inside the shack, the answer came from behind him.

"They're going to have to be ready; I want the worst two on the first copter, the second one isn't but five minutes behind. Gregorovich can be last," Sergeant Patel said, and the man nodded hurriedly and ducked inside the shack.

The helicopter landed just far enough away that the dust flying up would not reach the injured men.

Avery and another man ran up with a real stretcher between them and they moved Snake with care from his place on the ground, to the stretcher and then at last to the awaiting helicopter.

"What hospital will they be taken to?" Alex asked Staff Sergeant Patel who was watching the proceedings.

"The one closest and most able to handle severe cases. After they are out of critical condition, we can move them to a larger place that will be closer to wherever home might be," he answered.

The earlier rushes of adrenaline and sickening worry for the others had served as a blockage against his own pain. As Alex realized that he had done what had been asked of him, and could provide no more assistance, his own injuries and the pain that came with them resurfaced. His broken rib that had cut its way through the skin had been set and stitched up previously by the complex's medics; but his recent check up, though it had been quick, had left him with doubts about how well they had done their job.

The nurse had frowned at the uneven stitches, and had tried to make Mrs. Jones hospitalize Alex, rather than just the quick and unthorough examination she wanted. The pull of the black surgical thread irritated his skin, and Alex placed a hand on his side as the sound of the next helicopter could be heard coming in.

"Covering this up will be a real pain in the ass," Staff Sergeant Patel said to him as they watched the helicopter's descent. "This much activity hasn't occurred since the town won the regional 'Largest Pumpkin Contest'."

Alex looked at him curiously, "How do you know that?"

The Sergeant smiled lightly, and answered conspiratorially, "I happened to grow the runner up."

When Alex stared, the Sergeant just grinned and patted his shoulder. "Even Sergeants have hobbies, Rider; maybe you should find one."

"I'm not a Sergeant."

He found himself being scanned by the Sergeant's wise eyes. He patted Alex on the back again, and a look of pride came into his eyes. "Give it time. For now though, I want you to get on this incoming helicopter. I have a feeling that you've not taken care of all your injuries."

"I'm fine-"The Sergeant's raised eyebrows made him pause, and he remembered what had happened to Macleod due to his stubbornness.

"You may be worse off than even you realize."

Wolf and Eagle had been placed inside the helicopter for their short ride to the hospital; and Alex was ushered over to one of the two unoccupied seats. He strapped himself in, and then let his eyes rest on Wolf and Eagle. Wolf was being worried over by the same young medic who had had tended to the others. "His breathing is ragged; hurry up and get this contraption off the ground," the medic the sound of the rotors, Alex couldn't hear Wolf's breathing, but there was a crease of discomfort on his forehead. As they finally lifted off the ground, Alex could see Macleod standing nearby Yassen. He seemed to be watching their ascent into the sky; as if he was just waiting for Alex to turn away before causing Yassen harm.

This caused Alex to feel a strong antipathy towards the man. While Alex's concern for the assassin was no where near evanescent, he could not help but relax into the seat as they flew above and away from the complex. A tendril of hope in his chest whispered that he would never have to return to that damned place. As they crossed over patchwork fields toward the hospital, that hope in Alex seemed to bloom into a sure fact. He had found his friends; accomplished what he had been so frightened of, and there was no reason he should ever have to return.

Still though...there was a guilt that lay in the pit of his stomach. No one could assure him of his unit's health; and he would not be able to feel exculpated of that guilt until they were on the track to recovery. The constant whir above his head had Alex falling into a peaceful kind of half-sleep. Sunlight flitted through the open doorway of the copter, it fell on Alex's arms and legs and the desire to fall into a deep slumber right here and now was so tempting. After landing on the roof of the six story hospital, both Wolf and Eagle were taken away, and Alex was helped out of the helicopter by one of the male nurses.

He continued to support Alex over to the automatic doors even as Alex confusedly muttered, "I'm fine, they need help. Did you see them? They're really bad off-and no one will tell me if they're going to be okay."

"The best doctors in the area have been called to take care of them. Are they friends of yours?"

The linoleum was a calming pattern of white and light orange squares and it squeaked as Alex dragged his heavy boots over the surface. The lights in the hall were annoyingly bright, and the curious looks he received from some also had a negative effect on his already thin patience.

"Yes-they are my friends, they have more right to be called by friends than even Tom. He used to be by main friend," Alex explained to the man who nodded as if he had known this all along. He was led into a private room and helped onto the bed. Suddenly lying still made Alex feel dizzier than walking had, and he closed his eyes. The only unfortunate thing was, he couldn't seem to open them back up-and a large part of him did not want to anyway.

….

The hum of silence was deafening. That was all Alex could think of when he awoke many hours later.

Outside the sky was darkening, and the light glow that tinted the sky could have been from the sun setting or from it rising.

Throwing back the thin blanket that neatly tucked him into the confines of his bed, Alex slipped out of the room. His bare feet were cold against the floor. The soft cottons Alex was dressed in were not familiar, but with the haze of a good sleep still drifting over him, he was not alarmed by this.

He took to the halls of the hospital like an escaped refugee.

The small plates on the wall guided him to his destination. He only spotted two camera's during his trip to the lower levels of the hospital. Though something nudged at him to weave and avoid them the best he could, another more important urgency told him, "Who bloody cares if I'm caught…"

Opening a door marked with the world known symbol for stairs; Alex started to make his descent.

An old signed warned him about the hazards of falling down stairs with a depiction of a nameless, round headed figure tumbling down them. He used to laugh at signs like this, especially the obvious ones such as 'Caution: floor is slippery when wet' or an even sillier one 'Beware hot beverages are hot'. Now, as his legs felt rather weak, Alex did listen to the sign and took care to grasp the handrail.

The lower he came to the ground floor, the more Alex worried. The intense care unit contained the first floor and part of the second…it was also too close to the morgue for Alex's comfort.

It would be far too easy for someone to announce Wolf or Snake dead and then just wheel them away.

As he exited the stairwell into the intense care unit, Alex was confronted with a surprised nurse with a tray in her hands.

She had just been passing by when he entered the hall. He really couldn't blame her response as the tray and empty plastic cup flew into the air with a gasp of shock, but he was responsible for her reaction when he easily caught both and sheepishly handed them back to her. The brunette nurse gaped at him and he gave a painful smile before walking quickly away.

It took him fifteen minutes to find the room he wanted. The beeps and lights of the scanners he could see through the window were not particularly inviting, nor was the piece of paper demanding that 'Authorized Personnel Only' entered the room, and a smaller but noticeable 'no guests allowed' under that.

Considering himself a special patient of the hospital, Alex happily opened the door-and froze.

Four beds were lined against one long wall. It seemed that even in this situation K Unit was unwilling to separate.

The scanners showed good as could be expected vital signs, and though their steady sounds were comforting, the sound of Eagle snoring lightly in his bed in the corner was pure music.

Alex shut the door behind him slowly, extremely pleased that no alarms had sounded at his entrance.

He just wanted to know they were okay. The dream he'd awoken from not even thirty minutes ago was too real to be ignored without proof of their condition.

Alex took a moment to read the charts at each bed, taking note of who was worse off and who was going to be moved from the critical care ward first.

There was a chair in-between Wolf's bed and Fox's, Alex was more than happy to relax into its cushions. After growing used to the sounds around him, Alex moved his chair closer to Wolf's bed, and sleepily laid his head down besides Wolf's arm.

The movement did not cause Wolf to stir; he continued dozing away with hopefully nicer dreams than what Alex had recently had. With contentment seeping into his very bones, Alex relaxed and allowed himself to drift away.

…..

Waking up to hear people extolling him for miraculous deeds was not exactly what Alex expected, but nevertheless, that is what he received.

"-never seen anyone act so calm when confronted with such blatant mistrust."

"The idea of going back there at all must have seemed like a nightmare, but he did it, and it all worked out."

There was a pause of contemplation, in which Alex could feel eyes on his slumped figure. He was glad his face was still buried against the sheets on Wolf's bed, and that his arm helped to hide the wince on his face at their praises.

Stories of Alex often became embellished, as it was so easy for some to do so. After all, the basis of all stories about him involved a teenage spy-so why not change the tale so that his scared guidance back through the complex became a confident march. Soon enough, he would sound like a paragon.

The last thing Alex wanted to do was mislead K Unit….and as Alex thought of this, he realized that his pretending to be asleep was exactly that.

He sat up and his body took revenge on him for the way he had slept. The whole right side of his neck was sore, and his back ached in a way he thought was totally unfair. Didn't he deserve a good night's sleep without repercussions?

As he rubbed at his neck, Alex noticed the rooms occupants. Both Groceries and Avery had somehow managed to gain access to the 'no guests allowed' room as well, and had made themselves at home. Groceries had a cup of lime jello in his large hands, and took a moment away from eating to wink at Alex.

"Welcome back to the world of the living-I'd offer you some jello, but that monster confiscated it all."

The words came from Snake, and Alex grinned at him. His happiness at their apparent well-being brought him more peace than jello ever could…not that he would admit that openly. Wolf already looked more than discomfited at Alex's closeness, but that did not stop Alex from briefly laying his hand on the man's bruised arm.

He'd done so much worrying over what would happen if they turned out dead, that Alex had not given much thought to what he would say to them if they were fine.

Part of him had not wanted to allow himself the joy of thinking of all the things he would say. It would just hurt so much more if he never got to say those words.

"I…I'm glad that you-all of you…." Alex trailed off, hopelessly trying to find the words that would convey just how much he cared.

In the end, he didn't need to. Wolf's face took on a gentleness that Alex had never seen, and wordlessly he grasped Alex's shoulder.

Fox, though he still looked like he belonged in the morgue below their feet, struggled to sit up and moved to sit on the arm of Alex's chair.

The moment only lasted as long as Groceries' jello cup did, for when he finished, a large growl erupted from his stomach. Avery rolled his eyes heavenward, and Groceries sheepishly muttered something about missing breakfast.

Alex glanced around the room at the others, Snake hadn't bothered to get up, but he shot Alex a thumbs up that was returned. Eagle still slept peacefully in the corner, the dark circles under his eyes seemed worse in morning light.

"What happened to Yassen?" Alex asked them quietly.

The conscious members of K Unit exchanged glances.

"Cub," Fox said carefully, "I doubt you'll ever see him again. But, most likely he is somewhere in this facility getting treatment just like us-"

"Just so he can rot in a prison cell," Alex interrupted.

Wolf rubbed the creases above his brow. "Cub…"

"I know what he's done Wolf," Alex said impatiently. He stood up and walked away; unfortunately their eyes followed him, and Alex stared out the window overlooking the quiet street below.

"It's common for even people with great differences to bond in traumatizing situations," Avery offered. He said this with such confidence, that Alex glanced back at him.

"Gregorovich can't be described with words like good or bad; he's more difficult than that, but Alex, you have to understand that his good characteristics and better decisions don't wash away past occurrences."

Wolf snorted, "You should be a politician. Using wordage like that to describe an assassin- I bet you never got in trouble for anything because you always managed to talk your way out of it!"

Fox shot Wolf a look, then limped his way over to Alex's side. "Alex," he said in a low tone, "think of who it is. When has anyone managed to keep Gregorovich under lock and key?"

Thinking of that, Alex had to admit that Fox had a point.

From over in Eagle's side of the room, there came a sudden beeping. Everyone swiveled or quickly turned in alarm just to see Eagle sitting there looking surprised as he held the beeper in his hands.

"Relax," he said in a rough tone, his voice scratchy from lack of moisture. "I'm not dying-thanks to Cub."

Alex felt the heat of embarrassment rise into his face.

The nurse came into the room less than a minute later, in her hands there was a tray. Alex was vividly reminded of the nurse from last night and it seemed that luck was not on his side today either. From behind the tray was the slightly familiar face of the nurse the night before, she blinked at the sight of Alex standing next to the window.

To her credit, she did not yell at Alex, though he probably deserved it for frightening her so badly. She just slowly brought Eagle the tray, and handed him a small tumbler filled with a pink liquid.

"I can't give you anything stronger, but this should palliate the majority of your discomfort," she said kindly. Eagle turned it up, smacking his lips as he placed it back on the tray and took the orange juice she held out for him. "Anything else?" she asked, glancing around but with her gaze lingering on Alex.

They all replied in the negative, which was to be expected as Alex knew that at least Snake and Wolf still had morphine in their system and probably felt like everything was just dandy.

When she left, it took exactly two point five seconds for Eagle to start cackling, "Alex, not even over puberty and already grabbing the attention of older ladies!"

"Shut it," Alex griped.

They were still snickering at his expression when the door opened again and Staff Sergeant Patel walked in. The stance that Groceries and Avery adopted at the sight of him was slightly amusing until Alex noticed that even Wolf struggled to sit up in respect for the man.

"Easy, gentlemen; I originally looked upstairs for our Mr. Rider but found he had abandoned his bed," he gave Alex an amused look to show he was not the least bit insulted. "You can always tell who's a good soldier by where they stand after a battle. Are they licking their wounds quietly, or are they providing comfort and friendship to other brothers in arms?"

Alex glanced at the others, who, like himself, didn't seem to know what to say to that.

"I just came to inform Alex that the man, Sawyer, still hasn't been found. He may have already left the country, but I'm asking that you take Avery or Macleod with you when you leave the building."

At the mention of Macleod, Alex could not help but make a face. Then he had to ask, "Why and when am I going to leave the hospital?"

"Well, this just came from my own impression of you," the Staff Sergeant said with twinkling eyes, "but I don't see you as someone who can stay still for a large amount of time. You weren't even in bed ten hours before you managed to make your way down here, or so the nurse told me."

Alex rubbed his neck self-consciously, and as he caught sight of Fox's straining face, he placed an arm under his own to help him back to bed.

"You could of said you were hurting," Alex scolded, feeling like an old mother hen.

"Mrs. Jones also informed me of the friend you made after your brilliant but rather unexpected escape," the Sergeant had went on.

Alex looked up, "Nathan? Is he okay? You're not going to make him sign a bunch of papers are you?"

"Who's Nathan?" Wolf asked suspiciously.

"You were already replacing us with new friends before we even got rescued," Eagle quipped, his pain reliever obviously having started to work.

"I personally can't speak for how he is doing, but as we plan on moving the lot of you in a matter of hours, I thought you might like to say goodbye. From what I was told, he had a lot to do with your recovery."

Alex nodded as he stood next to Fox's bed. "Yeah, Nathan at least deserves my thanks. I'd like to pay him back in some other way besides verbally, but I don't really have anything."

The Staff Sergeant seemed to ponder that, "Well, he helped to heal an injured man who served the MI6, I'm sure there is an award out there for that."

He left later, with Groceries following not too long after that.

His statements though caused Alex to be bombarded with questions. The next better part of the hour was spent explaining how Nathan had found him face down in a ditch, and had contained enough human compassion to take care of him.

"Sounds like the start of a good, strong romance," Eagle put in, totally ignoring Alex's angry snarl of, 'I like girls, damn it!'. "Young spy and innocent-what does he do anyway?"

"Hell no, you've lost all my trust. I'm not telling you anything else!"

"Awww, and here I was thinking you were glad I was alive, and that you'd answer a _little bitty question_…"

"….He works in a car shop."

"Young spy and innocent car repair man; their love bloomed in a ditch-"

"Eagle, leave Cub alone," Avery inserted, possibly for Eagle own health as Alex's face had now gone through three shades of red.

"This Nathan guy should probably get some type of guard, just in case Sawyer gets word of how he helped you," Snake said.

In the stillness that followed, Alex swore he could hear his heart rate pick up. They noticed his expression as his embarrassment from Eagle's undeserved teasing turned to a pasty white.

"I…I wasn't trying to mock you Alex," Snake said hesitantly. "But, Sawyer really does seem the sick type who would go after Nathan just because he helped you-"

"Sawyer does know about Nathan," Alex croaked. His mouth suddenly felt full of cotton.

Alex remembered the last time he had spoken to Sawyer, he saw the feral glint in the man's eyes. The words he had said hit him like a punch, and just like physical violence, knowing what Sawyer knew, hurt.

"_True, you owe me no gratitude. No, that all belongs to the young man you rode into town with…am I right?" _

Alex had responded violently, and that caused more damage than if he had shrugged, or said, "Yeah, what about him?"

No, instead the fear that had surged through his chest had caused him to bloody _snarl _at the man, and then he had threatened Sawyer.

Groaning, Alex found that Avery was trying to push him into a seat.

"Calm down, Alex. Tell me, what does Sawyer know?"

Alex pulled at his own hair roughly, he couldn't remember being so mad at himself.

"He knows that Nathan helped me to get back in shape, he knows where he works-how he gets into town-"

Alex stood up abruptly, "He knows more than enough to find Nathan, and torture him-or, or do anything thing he bloody well wants! I have to help Nathan, I know where he lives." He started toward the door, and then something else he had been told caused him to pause.

"Avery," Alex said, his voice quiet with dread, "he's got a gun."

Avery didn't question him, he just pulled out a radio that Alex did not know he had, and relayed information to others all the while gesturing for Alex to go out in the hall.

"Cub, you'd better damn well be careful," Wolf said. His worry was mirrored on several other faces.

Avery shut their door and led Alex and outside to where a nondescript black car was parked.

"I have backup coming," he said as he unlocked the doors to the vehicle and got in. As Alex jumped in the passenger seat, he motioned toward the back. "There are two bullet proof vest back there, put one on. The Sergeant's going to kill me," he muttered as he pulled away from the curb and started in the direction Alex indicated.

Alex could care less how the Sergeant felt about this sudden rescue mission.

"He did say that it was common knowledge that I can't sit still for long," Alex muttered, and Avery snorted. They sped past the speed limit, almost knocking over a couple of jaywalkers in their haste.

"Man, if he hurts that kid," Avery muttered as they flew past the car shop.

The open threat strangely brought comfort to Alex.

_I'm coming, Nathan, _he thought fiercely, _and I'm bringing back up. _

**Author's Note: **15 pages, 5,887 words-and I still feel like nothing's happened. Ugh. Just, ugh. I wanted the Sawyer/Nathan scene to be in this chapter, but that obviously didn't happen. Hmm, I wonder if Alex remembers he's still wearing hospital pajamas…Finished this at 1:15 AM, now I can go to bed happy, :D I'm actually excited about when you all will get to read about Yassen in the next chapter, when I think about how cool it will be-I just smile. (But it is Yassen, and he makes me smile even when he's not doing cool stuff like-well, you'll see!). Thanks to all the reviewers! Though I can't respond to those without an account, I just want to say, 'Hey you, thanks for taking the time to tell me your opinion!' And for those who did write a signed review, you are awesome, and thank you for your ideas/thoughts/ect.

School is rough you guys, but I'm going on a field trip Tuesday-but a bus full of hyper, singing teenagers might be a form of torture…they are true Georgia kids who know every country song in the book. Help…me. I'm not downing country, but the third time through, "Country girl shake it for me, girl" is a bit rough, :P

Please review, they are indeed a form of fuel! Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and don't let people get you down. Chin up!


	28. Chapter 28: Sawyer's End

Alex decided that having an adrenaline rush while sitting in a moving vehicle seemed fairly reminiscent of being in prison.

In an attempt to release this pent of energy he was suffering from, Alex's hand tapped annoyingly on the window sill, while his foot tapped out another rhythm on the floorboard.

He could feel Avery's eyes slide over to him occasionally, but Alex was careful not to show any emotion besides his growing impatience. They flew down the old streets with their cracked cement, and, even though Avery was a cautious driver, Alex found himself thankful for the lack of sharp curves.

Outside the metal contraption they occupied, angry clouds rolled in with the same confidence that a bully has walking out onto the school playground. They seemed to overlook the land with disdain, knowing that all the people below winced at the sight of them and eyed the nearby stores to see which would provide the best shelter from the oncoming downpour.

Alex itched to do something. He wished he could apparate to Nathan's house, just like the characters in the Harry Potter books. Alex rolled down the window and inhaled deeply. The air was heavy with the smell of rain, it washed over Alex's senses and calmed his jangling nerves.

He settled back in the seat, closing his eyes and just letting the cool air ruffle his hair like a fond relative would…if he had any left.

Avery just drove along quietly as Alex went about calming himself the only ways he could think of doing so.

His emollient nature gave Alex a sense of peace, though as they got closer to Nathan's small home, that feeling slowly drained away leaving him once again ridden with nerves.

Sawyer's mentality (or, what was left of it) was fragile. Alex would have to be careful when it came to what he said, and since being too verbose was what caused Nathan to be in danger in the first place, he considered not verbally communicating at all. Even Sawyer must know the universal sign for peace…perhaps Avery was in possession of a white handkerchief he could borrow.

The sound of gravel under the car's tires made Alex's eyes snap open. He could see the small house now as they drove down into the valley, its windows were dark and ominous.

The sight of the familiar house where he had recovered at only a few previous days ago caused Alex to be buffeted with dubious thoughts. This time, Avery would not be enough to allay his fears and troubled thoughts. This was about to get dangerous. The altercation about to happen would decide what would become of Nathan.

No one knew what lay waiting inside that small, unassuming house. The fact that Alex had only a few hours ago considered it a home away from home seemed unlikely now.

Avery stopped the car not too far from the front door. He looked the house over, tension growing in his eyes, and then turned toward Alex.

"I would rather you stay in the car-hear me out, Alex! Knowing you were in a safer area would provide me with the ability to act quicker and think faster since I wouldn't have to worry about you. I'm not going to fool myself into thinking that you'll decide that is a good enough reason to stay behind. I know that is your friend in there. But back up is just a few minutes behind, and this Sawyer is nothing that I can't handle."

He paused to let Alex speak his mind and Alex knew that Avery would accept whatever he decided to do. Overhead, there was a roll of angry thunder that seemed to hint at the future.

"I'm coming with you."

Grimly, Avery nodded. They exited the car at the same time both armed and way of what waited for them. Approaching the door, Avery directed Alex to stand behind him and watch his back. The gun in his hand felt powerful, and Alex knew how to use it which made him all the more dangerous.

Avery nodded at him once, and with unexpected alacrity, he kicked the door in and entered the building.

Alex entered after him with his mouth set in a firm line, but, the stern control he possessed vanished in seconds.

Sawyer was no where to be seen, and in the middle of the room, Nathan was suspended.

He hung with a sturdy rope wrapped once and tied in a noose around his neck. Both arms were firmly held at his sides by another rope, and Alex could see his hands were purple from the lack of blood flow. Duck tape kept him from speaking, and as Alex took this scene in, his eyes were drawn to the two-legged stool that teetered under Nathan.

It was the only thing that was keeping him alive. One slip, one slight move to the wrong side could cause him to loose his balance, and in the process, he would loose his life.

Within these few seconds, several things happened. A disharmonious sound from behind them caused Alex to spin and as he was turning, he saw Avery fall to his knees with a yell.

Exiting the woods, confidence in his stride, was Sawyer. The gun in his hand was still aimed at Avery and as the other man tried to stand, Sawyer fired again.

With a grunt, Avery fell to the ground face first, his hands weakly grasping for purchase against the cold floor. Stunned, Alex did the first thing he could think of and brought his own gun up.

"I wouldn't do that, Alex" Sawyer warned loudly, quickly approaching. His surprisingly perfect aim struck Alex with fear, and now as he got closer, Alex realized he would not stand a chance if the man was to aim now-unless he could slam the door shut before he reached them.

Sawyer raised his other arm, and Alex saw the small device that he held in his hand.

"You're in under your head, with one press of this button," he waved the small device, with its one little black button, "you and your two helpless friends will be blown into a million pieces."

Alex hesitated, and during that moment, Sawyer crossed the threshold of the door and into Nathan's living room.

"Don't look so stunned, I thought you knew of my flair for drama?" Sawyer smiled cruelly, the whites of his eyes had a reddish tint. His face had acquired shadows under his eyes and where his face seemed to have thinned.

Sharp cheekbones, untrimmed facial hair…the man was slowly declining into a pathetic state of unkemptness.

"You'll die too," Alex argued. He quickly scanned the room, trying desperately to find another means of protecting himself should the gun fail. A few feet away from where Nathan was perched, there was a sharp butcher's knife lying on the floor.

Perhaps it had been the weapon Nathan had tried to ward off Sawyer with.

Sawyer laughed, the sound an echo of what the man used to be. "You think I care? I have one more chance to make this right, one last chance to get what I wanted in the first place-and you are going to help me get it."

Alex glanced at Avery, the man had gone still. Nathan was watching with wide eyes, looking rather comical from his hanging position.

"Lay down the gun."

Alex shook his head, "No, tell me what you're planning."

Sawyer raised an eyebrow, "Every time you disagree with me, I'm going to step closer to your friend. When I reach him, I'm going to kick that stool away, and you can watch as he dies. It won't go quickly either. First, he'll struggle, like a fish taken out of water. His face will lose color, his eyes will bulge, and finally, with one last pathetic wriggle-he'll subside into unconsciousness a few seconds before he is lost to you forever."

Nathan desperately shook his head at Alex, telling him to do what he had to do to survive, and not listen to the crazed voiced. His eyes, though afraid, gleamed with a ferocity that said he was not giving up, and that Sawyer would have a lot more trouble with them than he perhaps realized.

Sawyer stepped toward Nathan, eyes daring Alex to disagree with him again.

"Put down the gun boy, I don't want you damaged, but if I have to, I will shoot you. A busted kneecap, perhaps? I know exactly where to aim to handicap you for life."

Alex stood firm, his stance not changing.

In reply, Sawyer took another step closer. He could reach out and ruffle Nathan's hair now with the butt of the gun, if it was not pointed at Alex. Distantly, Alex could hear the sound of many cars coming down the gravel road.

Loudly, he asked, "What do you need me for-are there others working with you?"

Sawyer grinned, he had not yet heard the vehicles. "Not hardly, Rider. I work alone." He took another step towards Nathan, "I suggest you put down the gun, kid. You have no chance now anyway-"

Nathan and Alex shared a look that communicated the need for quick action. This moment of unanimity caused Nathan to push off with as much force as he could manage from the stool.

He jumped into the air, and used the bonds to gain as much height as possible. This was his one moment to help, and he took it.

Sawyer turned as the stool clattered to its side, but Nathan has used this momentum to his advantage and with both feet, he kicked Sawyer firmly in the chest.

The gun went flying, and Alex took his chance. He shot the man twice, one bullet landed before he'd even hit the floor, the other knocked into his ribcage and left the man gasping and wheezing.

Alex grabbed the knife, dropped the gun onto the table, and quickly pulled a chair over to cut a struggling Nathan from the noose. The older boy fell to the floor, and stayed there unable to get up as his hands were still bound.

"God, Nathan, you scared the shit out of me!" Alex's head spun as he bent over Nathan's figure, pulled the duck tape and then moved to cut his hands free from their bonds.

"I thought I'd go bloody bonkers listening to him," Nathan spat, as he regained his breath. Had his eyes not firmly been on the ground, he might have been able to prevent what happened next.

The sharp blade had just touched the bonds when a cruel, restraining hand yanked Alex back.

Somehow, Sawyer was back on his feet. He wrapped on arm around Alex's throat, pulling him back against his chest as his other hand wrapped around Alex's wrist. His arm tightened against his windpipe, as he growled low in Alex's ear.

"This is what-the third time you've failed to kill me?" his laugh was wet, and Alex felt spittle on the side of his face.

Sawyer's hand was crushing his wrist, and it forced Alex to drop the knife next to Nathan.

The door to the house flew open, voices yelled but Alex failed to make out the words. The lack of oxygen was causing his brain to go fuzzy, and his legs were starting to go weak. Sawyer tried to turn and use Alex as a shield, had he managed to turn in time, the military units would have been forced to back down or risk Alex becoming injured.

The leader of the unit was quicker than Sawyer, however, and two bullets pierced the man's side driving into his vital organs. He was dead within a few seconds.

Sawyer's arms, still wrapped around Alex in a horrible mockery of an embrace, caused them both to go crashing to the cold, unforgiving floor.

Alex struggled out of the arms, and out from under Sawyer's weight with the help of Groceries.

With Groceries keeping him steady, Alex regained his calm breathing and shook of the tremors that had arisen from the embrace of a dead man.

A few feet away, Macleod stood, his mouth firmly set into a frown. He'd been the one to shoot Sawyer, and in so doing, had saved Alex's life.

Nathan was now getting to his feet with the help from another man in the unit, and rubbing his hands to get the circulation going again.

Unable to let Macleod off easily, even shaken as he was, the young spy asked with feigned curiosity, "I'm sorry, but I could have sworn that earlier it was said I wasn't your responsibility to protect anymore."

"Don't press your luck, Rider," Macleod snarled, and Alex fought a grin.

Though weak, Nathan had walked over and enfolded Alex in a tight hug. "I don't know whether to be extremely thankful you came to my 'rescue', or to knock your bloody head off for getting me involved in this mess in the first place," he muttered shakily.

When he pulled away, they both looked down at Sawyer who was being examined by two men that were discussing the best way to move the body. Large pools of blood had stained the shirt in multiple places, it ad been dripped about the room, and splattered in spots on the floor-there was even a large, wet area on the back of Alex's shirt, though he was not aware of it until he saw Nathan's critical eyes assessing him.

"It's not my blood, I got it when the bastard pulled me up against him," Alex explained quietly, and Nathan excepted that with a nod.

"What about him, will he be okay, you think?"

Alex turned and looked at Avery, who had been turned on his side as medics hovered over him. He was pasty, and showed no sign of movement-but, Alex was confident in assuming that the man was still alive, and would not give up in to death for several years yet.

This assumption was not backed up by any reason beside his own knowledge of how stubborn Avery seemed. As they watched, the man was ;lifted onto a stretcher and carefully moved out of the room.

"I think he'll be fine," Alex offered to Nathan, who had been growing increasingly worried by his lack of a reply.

A hand landed on Alex's shoulder, and he turned to find the Sergeant looking at him with resignation.

"You weren't supposed to be put into anymore danger, Rider."

Alex tried to interrupt him, but stopped as the man frowned at him.

"But, I respect that you would go to such lengths to protect your comrades," he glanced at Nathan, who looked a little uncomfortable under the Patel's steeling gaze, "and your friends."

He clapped Alex on the shoulder, and turned to deal with Nathan and the secrecy that must be kept about such a situation.

Alex wandered outside, thinking of a nice patch of grass under the sun that he could fall asleep on away from the chaos inside the small house. He knew there would not be such a place waiting for him, the sky was still bleak, the clouds heavy with rain but, it was a nice thought.

Avery was being loaded onto a car, and Alex watched until one of the medics waved him over.

"He's awake and stable. He wants to talk to you, you've got five minutes."

Alex looked into the car where Avery lay on his side on the stretcher, one arm across his stomach. He smiled grimly at the sight of Alex, but there was pain written on his face and Alex felt a twinge of guilt that the man had been harmed for his crazy mission.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked carefully, wondering if Avery would chew him out for not watching his back better.

"Yeah. I see that look on your face, and I wanted you to know-that if you continue to feel guilty about this, I'll kick your ass."

Alex winced at that, but Avery smiled to let him know, that all was well. An echoing smile came upon Alex's face, and the man nodded at him. "the bullets didn't damage me too bad, I think it looked a lot worse than what it was to tell you the truth. It appears you did pretty good without me, I'm proud of you kid."

The praise was all good, but what made Alex the happiest, was knowing that Avery truly was going to heal from this. He was going to be okay. They were all going to be okay.

**Author's Note:** A rather short chapter leading up to the final, 30th chapter, but it should all be worth it! **I graduated on Thursday!** Wow, done with high school, how to describe this feeling…hmm. I think I'll miss it, school was sometimes the highlight of my week, I loved my teachers and friends, but it is time to move on to greater things!  
I have two internships this summer, at a radio station and at a police station working in the crime lab, so you may see Alex taking fingerprints off an object in a future story, haha! Thank you so very much for all the reviews and PM's! (I LOVE getting PM's!)  
**Feel free to leave me a review as a graduation present! *Grin***  
Have a great summer! Next chapter: Jack is re-united with Alex after months, and Yassen makes his last appearance. What do you think will happen? :D


	29. Chapter 29: The End's In Sight

The reunion, as Alex had taken to calling it, was set to take place at two o'clock at a decent, well-known café not far from his home in Chelsea. He had not needed to ask why he could not go straight home, the guard that had been placed outside the door of the hospital, and later the fancy hotel he'd been placed in, made his situation very clear.

He was a wanted man. This was becoming more common as of late, but that did not make it any easier when Mr. Crawley had come to inform him that he would not be returning to his home.

"It's been decided, that returning to your residence on King's Road could have detrimental affects on your life."

Alex grinned to himself, gazing down at his sheets that covered his legs. Since when did 'detrimental affects' become another way of saying 'dying painfully'.

"You, once again, have come out of a situation where you should not have survived. This puts several organizations that would cause you harm, into a bad light, as it were."

"I understand that-but where am I supposed to go. It's _Scorpia_, along with a bunch of other nutters. They aren't the easiest people to hide from." Alex took a moment to gesture to himself, stuck per doctor's orders in the hospital bed, until they were satisfied with his apparent recovery. He'd been deemed stressed both physically and emotionally, something that Alex thought was rather obvious, and had inquired as to where the doctors had attended school at and if they had actually graduated.

He thought the three more days of bed rest he'd been assigned was totally uncalled for.

Alex had been seen by several doctors, and they would have brought along all their students and internees if someone hadn't given them the stink eye.

His stubborn nature had allowed him to go back and help his friends, something that was admirable but nothing to raise an eyebrow over…until a report had been received of all that he had been through the last several months. The injuries he had suffered should have left him unable to do more than lay in bed, fiddling his thumbs. But, Alex was ready to leave the hospital days ago, and had made the nurses rather nervous in the face of his never-ending energy.

Now, he had become quite a medical miracle.

Wolf had taken a moment to act pitying over Alex's situation with the fawning medical students and overly curious doctors…and had then dubbed him, "The Chosen One."

His affiliation with Alex, had made him popular with the female nurses…or maybe it was his pecs. Either way, Wolf had under no doubt taken advantage of his new status.

"-was the time when I saved him during an avalanche in the French Alps. He's very good at attracting trouble, makes it hard for me to be his Guardian. But, when his father was ran over by that taxi cab, and his mother couldn't afford to take care of him any more-how could I say no to raising the brat?"

Alex leaned on the doorway, at his elbow Fox was frowning. They'd been taking a daily scheduled walk around the hall of the hospital just to find their room invaded when they returned all but fifteen minutes later.

Snake and Eagle had been given the room next to there's, something Eagle often bemoaned because of the entertainment he missed out on…such as verbal battles. Snake's condition had not improved as well as the other's. The infection Alex had first heard mentioned outside that rickety shack when they had been found, had not been handled as it should have been, and Snake was still suffering from the pain of the injury.

"Yes, you really have been a great guardian." Alex spoke up, causing the four nurses gathered around, and one starry-eyed janitor that had someone been sucked into the story, to turn around.

"Who else would have taught me how to get high off cat litter…"

"Or how to spit a loogie?" Fox added thoughtfully, staring admiringly at Wolf's displeased expression.

"Or where the best places are to find women with low self-esteem?"

"Oh, don't forget, if you put a dent in the canned products in the grocery store-

"You get it half off!"

"You get it half off!"

Their chiming in unison was all it took for the invisible bubble of patience to pop. As one, the nurses glanced at each other.

Alex almost felt bad for Wolf…if looks could burn holes through people, he'd share a fair resemblance to Swiss cheese at the moment. The janitor even seemed offended as Wolf's 'true nature' came to light.

"I'm going to go clean the loo," he muttered disheartedly, taking one last, almost longing look back at Wolf, before wheeling his squeaky cleaning cart away and departing with a sigh.

"Bastards," Wolf said, collapsing back onto the bed pillows with an irritated huff.

"You were lying about me and my _dead parents_, not to mention the danger you could have put us in if they all blab about your amazing stories of heroism. We're trying to _not _attract attention, remember? If anyone's a bastard here-it'd be you!"

"Oh, _please. _I would have made it good for you too, I was about to tell them about the little dog you rescued from the Thames river…of course, after that you fell into river with the dog-and I save you both."

"Why am I not surprised?" Fox moved away from Alex's side to sit on his bed and rub his forehead. He'd had reoccurring head aches ever since the rescue, but was too worried about the possibility of addiction if he took the pain medication as often as it was needed.

"You must have telepathic abilities-because that was _not_ an obvious ending. I don't even know where I come up with it!"

Fox said something that sounded suspiciously like, 'pull it out of your ass', but Wolf was too busy pondering the wide expanse of his new story telling abilities to notice.

Alex made his way slowly to his bed, placed unfortunately in between Wolf's and Fox's. Even in a private hospital he couldn't get privacy…but maybe it was for the best. He found that being kept busy was better than having time to think.

Thinking could be rather dangerous. Especially when one had so many depressing things to think about. The months of school he had missed-again, the scars that the doctors said would not disappear, the many memories of reeking cells and sadistic people.

"To be honest-I'm glad you scared away the janitor with your hideous faces. He was kind of creep'in me out."

"Serves you right if the janitor has an unhealthy interest in you," Fox said, a devious grin on his face. Alex rolled his eyes, and laid back on his own bed.

When the date for the reunion had been set, Alex found himself rather nervous. He'd be escorted by Mr. Crawley, who would allow him a few minutes to reunite with Jack before they were loaded into the car and taken to his new house.

He'd not been told the location of where he'd now live his life, but he had been assured that all his belongings had been packed away safely and already delivered there.

After he had been released from the hospital, Alex was taken to a hotel near their meeting destination. He spent the night there in the cozy but unfamiliar room, looking around at the paintings of overly large flowers, and huge television set. There was a guard posted outside his door, and the room service had been paid for so that he could have anything and everything brought to him.

He missed K Unit all ready.

Though he had briefly inquired about Yassen when he last saw Mr. Crawley, he'd not received the information he wanted.

The man was going to transferred to a high security prison, and Alex had been told that there was "no need to worry about Gregorovich's whereabouts," because Alex was "perfectly safe."

Alex decided that stating he was not worried about himself, but about Yassen, would only get him thrown back into the hospital.

Let them believe what they wanted, some people were best left unaware.

After a lunch of baked chicken and steamed vegetables, that Alex found he could barely touch due to nerves, he'd been escorted to a black car with tinted windows.

The café was, if he had to use one word, adorable. Sage green shutters accented the multi-paned windows, and several iron tables, painted blue, had been set up for those customers that actually enjoyed the rainy English weather.

It was a hot spot for teens attending nearby universities, and for those health nuts who would come for freshly brewed tea of all sorts.

A display case took up an entire wall, showcasing local artists and authors. The back of the case was a mirror, and Alex caught his worried expression in the glass as he walked through the door with a tired looking Mr. Crawley at his arm.

"Go sit there," Mr. Crawly said, indicating a table for two set up in a corner. The man turned around, looking ready to walk away, then paused and asked hesitatingly, "Do you want anything to drink?"

Apparently a few months of torture was all it took for the MI6 to start waiting on him.

Alex shook his head no, his throat was dry, but the idea of Mr. Crawly standing around any longer than was necessary made him uncomfortable. He was just ready to see Jack, and that encounter would probably lead to tears from both parties, something he did not want Crawley to see.

"I'm leaving you here then, you have guards posted around if trouble should arise," he seemed a bit annoyed by this, and left with one last glance around the room.

Alex waited fifteen seconds, before seeking out his other guards with careful eyes. He wanted to be aware of where these men had been placed around the room, just in case their protection was needed. He hated to be so paranoid, and cautious…but his life called for it.

A sly glance around the room, brought two people to attention, a middle-aged man in sunglasses, which was hardly inconspicuous considering it was a cloudy day, and another man reading a newspaper.

They also looked extremely familiar.

Alex grinned, his nervousness melting away as he stood to go and greet his friends.

A strong hand grasped his shoulder, pushing him back into his seat. "Aww, don't ruin it for them, Alex. They think their doing such a good job blending in."

Alex turned his head to glare at Wolf, who leaned against the table in reply and smirked.

"Eagle is reading that newspaper backwards, if anything, they're mocking their assignment." Alex replied. His half-hearted glare faded as he glanced back over the room, just to see Fox look over the sunglasses' lenses to wink saucily at him.

Wolf just smiled and Alex scanned the room for blond hair.

"Where's Snake?"

A grim look took a hold on Wolf's facial features, and he sighed.

"He couldn't get released from the bloody hospital, had a raging fever apparently, they wouldn't even let me in to see him. Said he was in no condition for visitors," Wolf ran a hand through his short hair, looking over at Eagle and Fox who nodded back at him, not even trying to hide their affiliation with each other. "Those antibiotics they gave him should have started working by now," Wolf muttered.

Alex bit his lip, studying the small square table at which he sat. The wood was polished, but not enough so that it hid all the little dents and dinge marks.

"How did you all get assigned this job? You're supposed be on sick leave."

Wolf gave a small smile, "We pulled a few strings. Waved our 'we survived tons of shit for months, we can go on guard duty for a few bloody hours' banner…but, we really just wanted to say bye."

Alex smiled down at the table, not knowing how to express his gratitude.

"You must be excited to see Jack," Wolf stated, taking the other seat across from Alex.

Alex took in a shuttering sigh, filled with more hope and anxiousness than even he cared to admit.

A small, understanding smile came upon Wolf's face. Suddenly, Alex wondered when the older man would finally be reunited with his own family. Alex only had one person to worry over, Jack had been the main parent figure, and truthfully the only person he could confide in ever since Ian had died.

So, the fact that he had begun to forget what she looked like, was really terrifying.

What if she wasn't as happy to see him as he was to see her? What if he was rejected, she'd been hurt so many times since MI6 had blackmailed him into working for them, what if, this time, she had finally had enough?

"You might want to try not looking so utterly depressing."

Alex quirked an eyebrow in askance.

"You're attracting the attention of all the goth loving females in the nearby vicinity," Wolf looked around, before his eyes quickly flew back to Alex's, looking rather hesitant. "I bet this has happened before…but you don't seem the type to use that to your advantage."

Confusion made Alex blink, was Wolf calling him a nice guy…or suggesting he was gay? He looked quickly over to the door, hoping that Jack would save him from this horrid conversation-because, no matter which way Wolf had meant that sentence, he really didn't want to talk about himself.

"Um…"

Wolf smirked, and Alex frowned at him before replying. "I haven't really had time to do the whole female conquest-ing thing."

Wolf had the nerve to lean across the table and ruffle his hair, with Alex staring wide-eyed and a bit wary the entire time.

"You're a good guy, Alex. Don't let those bloody people change that. Next time they try to use you, tell them to fu-"

"I believe that is my seat."

Alex jerked away from Wolf and his confidence inspiring talk, to turn and gape at the very familiar person that had somehow approached his table without him noticing.

Standing up, Alex only had a moment to note the difference in Jack's appearance. Her longer hair, skinnier frame, the worry lines on her face that had not always been so prominent…then, he more or less fell into her hug.

Jack's arms grasped him, fingers clenching in the fabric of his shirt. He felt her head fall down next to his, her breath catching as she tried to not burst into tears.

In the middle of that crowded café, Alex and Jack stood close, one's shoulders shaking with relived tears while the other tried and failed to hold back a few tears of his own.

Across the room, Fox was careful to not look at Eagle or Wolf, due to the curious sheen of tears he could feel overcoming his own eyes. God, he'd be so happy to see his family again.

"I thought…I was so scared," Jack whispered, trying to find the words that could express her concern and heart-wrenching worry over the one person in the entire country she loved like a little brother.

Alex shook his head, "I'm sorry, Jack."

A sob caught in Jack's throat as she pulled back to look him in the eyes. "Don't you apologize for what someone else did to you. Those…bastards, they took you away. I saw a surveillance tape of how they took you-I saw you fight, Alex. You were brilliant, so, don't you ever apologize to me."

At a loss for words, Alex just nodded and Jack promptly tried to squeeze the life out of him again.

The sounds of life going on around him dimmed to a pleasant buzz. As if he was in a dream, and all that had happened was just a fading memory of some past nightmare.

In this calming moment, he inhaled and the smells of coffee, pastries and Jack's coconut shampoo. Wolf had pulled away from the two person table while Alex had been too caught up in Jack's appearance to notice, and a grateful feeling made Alex smile contentedly.

He did not want to explain to Jack just who Wolf was, and why he was here…not just yet.

From over Jack's shoulder, Alex opened his eyes and looked out the café windows and onto the street where people walked by, caught up once again in their own problems. They would never know the sacrifices he had made for them…and he wouldn't have it any other way.

From across the street, a small bistro was buzzing with activity as people rushed in for a small meal at the very end of their lunch break. There were three tables set outside, only a few seats being occupied.

Alex was about to turn away and bury his head back into Jack's familiar shoulder, all masculine thoughts washed away after months of missing her, when blond hair across the street was caught in a rare ray of the sun.

A tingle of familiarity made him zone in on that hair, and the person it was attached to.

The neatly arranged locks, the loosely held cup of tea and the casual form of a dancer, all screamed out to Alex, and he found his own fingers clenching in Jack's soft cottony shirt.

Shades lay atop the man's hair, unneeded in their current weather, and as Alex lowered his eyes slightly, he found the man staring right back at him. His cool blue gaze drilled right into him, and the recognition that had slowly arisen seemed to sing.

A grin came upon Alex's face, he couldn't stop the smile.

It was one of relief and disbelief. How _the Hell_ did he do it?

In reply to his stunned look, there was a faint upturn to Yassen's lips. He nodded at Alex, both of them oblivious to those around them.

Jack must have felt the change in Alex's demeanor, she pulled back to look him in the eyes, and smiled curiously at his pleased and suprised face.

"What?"

"I'm just…so happy to see you again."

She accepted that with a beaming grin, and pulled him to their designated table.

Alex turned as he walked away, back towards the window for one last look at the mysterious man that was Yassen Gregorivich.

He was gone. On the iron table, a single teacup sat. The only remaining sign that a world-renowned criminal had been in clear sight on a busy London street.

The sight of his abandoned post made Alex smile so large he thought his face would crack.

And, though Alex also knew he'd never see the man again, he could not help but be happy. Wolf caught his gaze, and he too seemed amused. He shook his head slightly with what could only be exasperation. In that moment, they shared the same thought.

No one could hold Yassen Gregorovich, though, it hadn't stopped anyone from trying.

With that, Alex turned back to Jack, and enjoyed a few peaceful moments with her. This would probably be the last time he was in Chelsea for a while, and though he had no idea where MI6 would send him to…he was excited about the prospect of a much calmer, and much safer adventure awaiting him.

**Author's Note: **Whew! That was rough, just trying to do everyone justice. Yassen made an escape worthy of Mr. Jason Bourne himself, complete with now-you-see-me-now-you-don't moves, (I can't help it-I heard 'Extreme Ways' by Moby in my head the entire time I wrote that scene. If you know what I'm talking about give me a "Heck ya!") Alex has been reunited with Jack, and K Unit has let him know that they are still there for him.  
**Thank you all so much **for the congratulations on me graduating! It made me smile so much to read them! I have been having a blast at my internships (for those who don't know, it is like a training program almost). You get to see how places work from the inside, so at the police station I get to work with evidence from crime scences, and file hundreds of reports, (blugh!) and I've recorded a few public service announcements at the radio station and again, worked with more paper work that I ever wanted to see! *Grin*  
The **last chapter **is on it's way, but I am still deciding if a particular someone should die or not. I'm hoping you caught on to just whom I'm referring…he wasn't in this chapter. So, should I end this story on a bittersweet note? The last chapter will wrap up a few loose ends, so stay tuned!  
Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I adore feedback, and reader's opinions, and to know that so many have followed the story even though I'm slower than a sloth is really touching. Mucho gracias! What do you expect from the last chapter? Anything you are still waiting to see? Feedback is much appreciated! **Please review! :D**


	30. Chapter 30: The End

Hummingbird Lane was just as relaxed and cozy as it sounded. Neat little houses lined the street, all with their own characteristics that reflected the individualism of their owners. And house number 121, was no different...though, the same could not be said for its current residents.

Had the nearby families been aware of their rather famous (at least in MI6 circles) next door neighbor, the upcoming block party would be far at the back of everyone's mind.

However, that was not the case. In fact, Alex Rider had lived at 121 for two months before he got his first visitor.

The small, but comfortable home was within fifteen miles of Jack's parents, and Alex had seen them almost every weekend since his arrival in the United States. Though they had been noticeably concerned upon learning that Jack was his only remaining parent figure, and that she planned on keeping that position for a _very long time_, they had grown to accept it.

Sam, Jack's father, now planned on taking Alex golfing sometime during the approaching weekend. He had sworn to familiarize Alex with American sports, and both adoptive grandparents seemed to enjoy his company and the opportunity to spoil someone they considered in great need of spoiling.

Jack had stepped on Alex's foot when he tried to politely decline their gifts, and somehow he had grown accustomed to their public displays of affection; this included cheek pinching (luckily only given to him on Mrs Starbright's side), hugs, one-armed-squeezes, and bright smiles.

He was the grandson they had never had, and Alex tried to fill that role to the best of his ability.

Upon hearing the doorbell ring one morning, Alex was rightfully under the impression that it was Jack's parents coming to check up on him. Jack had recently taken a job teaching foreign people how to adjust to the American way of life, and vice versa.

For those American's moving to Europe, endless explanations on what exactly a 'loo' was, came close to driving her barmy. However, she liked working there, and was grateful for a job she was actually quite good at, having lived in London many years herself.

The morning sun cast a telling shadow on the curtains covering the front-door window, and it was immediately clear that this was not anyone Alex was expecting. First, the shadow was far too lean to be from either of the Starbright seniors; Mrs Starbright lived by the rule "Never trust a lean cook" and though he grumbled about his pudge quite often, Mr Starbright was quick to tell anyone that he was in love the moment Mrs Starbright's homemade biscuits passed his lips.

Having been trained in stealth, Alex was quick to press himself into the wall before the intruder could lean forward and look through the small gap in the curtains.

There were multiple reasons for a stranger to be on his doorstep. Unfortunately, all the good reasons sounded rather stupid in his head, and that only left bad reasons.

A memory came back to him, a terrible, life shattering memory that had sent him to Hell and back.

It did not have to be three in the morning for the bearer of bad news to arrive on one's doorstep.

Alex wondered if he would hear words similar to what Jack had heard almost two years ago now if he was to open the door.

"Mr. Rider? I wonder if we could come in..." This would of course would be followed by, "...a car accident...called the ambulance...intensive care...nothing we could do...so sorry."

An impatient knock interrupted his brooding, and Alex jumped away from the wall, trying to shake those bad thoughts away from him. He had a new life now. No more distressing home calls for him.

"Come onnnn, I didn't come all the way from bloody Kent to wait here on your horrifyingly cute porch all bloody day..._is that a pink flamingo in your yard_?"

A muddy ditch. Trying his best to stay conscious as rain pounded down on his wounds, careful hands that would not let him pass into that black eternity. Healing and comfort found in a small cottage near the woods. These memories and more attacked him when that voice reached his ears.

Alex strode forward and threw open the door.

Nathan turned from where he had been surveying the yard and the pink flamingo that occupied it. Bemused eyes looked at him, and though a delighted smile tried it's best not to appear, it failed astoundingly.

All Alex could think to say was, "That's not my flamingo."

Nathan adjusted the backpack slung over one arm and grinned so wide, that Alex was surprised he could talk at all.

"Really? Then, may I ask why it is in _your yard?_"

"No. What I mean is, _that one _is not mine, mine is blue." With this, Alex stepped out onto the porch and pointed at the bright blue flamingo guarding the corner of the house.

Beaming cheekily, Alex turned and waited for Nathan to reply. But what could one say to that?

It was rather fortunate that for all those things that can not be quickly said in words, can be said in actions. Before even his remaining spy tendencies could react, Alex had been enveloped in a tight hug.

Oh, the gossipy next door neighbor would have a blast with this Alex thought amusedly as he hugged Nathan back.

About five seconds before it would have become awkward, Nathan pulled back and grinned. "I was beginning to think you didn't live here, and that the flower lady had lied to me."

"Flower lady?"

"Yeah, her name is...Petunia, or Daisy-"

"-Tulip?"

"Yeah! That one, she gave me the address where I could reach you, but don't tell anyone. It's apparently a big secret...which makes me wonder, should we be standing out here like this?"

Alex was thoroughly confused, but walked with Nathan inside. "Miss Jones gave you my address?"

Nathan shrugged and walked curiously around Alex's kitchen. "Well, yeah. I was a bit surprised too, I mean...they kind of took extreme means to keep you safe, with the move and all. Though, I was expecting you to go by a different name nowadays."

He cast a grin at Alex, "You would make a good Mr Bond, or perhaps, a Mr Fleming-the mastermind behind it all!"

Rolling his eyes, Alex did what his uncle had always done when the rare company arrived; he got out the tea kettle.

"Not that I'm unhappy to see you, because I'm not...but, what in the world are you doing here?"

Nathan looked down at his hands, finding something interesting under one fingernail.

"Um...well, do you remember me telling you that my Mum lived in the United States?"

Alex nodded and fetched the tea bags out of the cabinet.

"I tried moving in with Dad after you left. I guess I just started thinking about how you had not seen your family in a really long time...because they all died,"

Alex snorted here, and Nathan grimaced. "That came out wrong-but, I mean you have not seen your family, because you can't. Where as I had not seen my family, just because they ticked me off."

Shamefaced, Nathan bit his lip and met Alex's gaze. "I just...I had to at least try to get along with them after that."

It was a weird feeling, knowing that you had impacted someone hard enough that they would go and make a huge life altering decision because of it. For a second, Alex's throat felt rather tight.

"So, I tried to get along with my dad. But, he has a tendency to fish around in people's business. He found out where I had lived, and remarked that he had seen something on the news about kidnapping survivors being pulled out of the woods in that region...he asked if I knew anything about it, because the television had been rather vague."

There was something in Nathan's voice, that filled Alex with a sort of dread.

"Nathan, you didn't tell him-"

"Alex, please hear me out."

"Nathan! I just got away from that horrible place, I left a bloody country to escape that! My home, my few friends I had left-don't bloody tell me that you've just ruined it for me!"

If the tea kettle had not gone off, Alex was sure he could have ranted for hours.

"No, no, no...settle down, it is not that serious. Just..." Nathan took a deep sigh, as if the situation had done more to his nerves than it had Alex's. "Just, sit down, please."

Alex did, but he took his time and got himself a cup of tea first before sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Okay, please don't interrupt."

Nathan looked for confirmation from Alex and grudgingly, Alex nodded.

"My dad, is a struggling journalist. He used to have his own column that went into uncovering problems in the British government. It was popular for a while, and then he went and wrote an article about a certain mayor...and his three girlfriends he saw while on 'business' trips."

Alex had heard of that article, and the backlash the author had received when it turned out to be false.

"He was desperate to get his high-profile position back, and a great story would have done that. You have to understand, he has a way of sniffing out a story-seriously, he says he can _smell_ gossip and news worthy stories. It gets annoying, "I can sniff out a problem, anytime, anywhere!""

Nathan shook his head, and Alex raised an eyebrow, and stirred some sugar into his tea.

"Anyway...when I gave him very little, and very vague information about how I lived, where I lived and who I met while I was away, he got more curious. He traveled to where I lived, Alex. He met and talked to people who had seen me around town, and get this! He found out where I had lived, and worked, and started talking to Toni."

Alex remembered Toni, the odd man that worked with Nathan and had given them a ride into town.

"Well, Toni didn't know any better, and I guess he mentioned you. You were not from around, you looked beat up...he started talking to more locals who remembered when the MI6 men stormed their town, a few even swore they had seen the rescue, though that was impossible. And, then he went to the police station. It took some persuading, but someone must have mentioned you, and...well, that was all he needed."

"What do you mean?"

"He knew you had a lot to do with the kidnapping, though none of the papers mentioned a teen being taken, and none of the papers mentioned that the people kidnapped were involved with MI6. It was the perfect reason to keep digging, he had bits of info, but not enough yet to make a great story. So, I'm not sure exactly where he went, or how he got it...but he got pictures of you, crashing through the roof of-like, a conference room."

Alex paled.

"Yeah...he showed me the picture," Nathan said, "he could tell from my face that I recognized you."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I could not let him leak anything to the press. I thought any publicity for you was bad publicity, so...I got in touch with one of those men you were held captive with."

Alex had been taking a swallow of his tea, and almost choked.

"How did you get their number? Who was it...Wolf?"

"They tracked me down about three weeks after you were admitted into the hospital."

"They?"

"Well, yeah, three of them came to see me," Nathan paused for a second, and seemed to smile into thin air, "I thought they were like..the mob or something at first."

Alex could understand that, they certainly had seemed an intimidating group to him back at Brecon Beacons.

"They told me who they were, and thanked me for helping you, and then they gave me their contact information so that I could call them if I was ever in any trouble."

"They did that for you?"

"They did that for me, _because_ of you. And so, I called-what's his name, Fox? Yeah, so I called him up and told him about the story my dad was writing."

"What happened?"

"They...took care of it. Dad was pretty much done with the story by then, I mean, he was so excited about it too! But, I couldn't let him give that to anyone, it was not his story to tell. They shut him up, took all his stuff, made him sign a piece of paper stating he would never look into writing another story about you for fear of punishment by law-it was all very official."

Nathan reached behind him to his backpack, and pulled out a dark green folder.

"I...I kind of snuck this out before they could come and destroy everything. I thought you might want to read it, it really does sum you up. And, though I know you are happier being an anonymous savior, I couldn't help thinking...wouldn't it have awesome if it did get printed?"

He laid it in front of Alex, and the first words printed in large, black letters read**: Unknown Hero Revealed: British Intelligence Using 14 Year Old as Spy!**

Alex stared down at the words. Feeling cold and a bit like he was in a dream.

"All those oblivious kids at your school, all the teachers who shook their heads at your absence-they'd all know the truth. They'd all know just how much you've sacrificed to keep them safe. You didn't even get anything out of it, you'd be hailed as a national treasure, best-selling books would be written about you, you'd be on talk shows, and be offered places in the best universities..."

Nathan seemed alight with the possibilities, awestruck by all that could happen...if only Alex wanted it to.

"But...you don't want that kind of future for yourself," Nathan said, and he smiled in resignation.

Alex looked up from where he had been reading the article against his better judgment.

It spoke of many of his miraculous feats, Nathan's dad had looked into his life and revealed the death of his parents and uncle. He'd mentioned many of Alex's skills, and made suggestions about how exactly he had gotten involved with MI6, and if that was indeed all he was involved with.

He'd done a lot of work, no one was ever supposed to know this much about him. All this research, and it was now useless...unless _he _was to use it.

Alex looked up, and saw the curious look on Nathan's face.

"Er...are you still living with your dad?"

Nathan gave him a look.

"No," he replied slowly, "After I told him to leave you alone, and he continued researching anyway, I decided I could not stay with him. So, I called up my mum. I'm staying with her now in a little suburb called Kent, and looking for a job. I should have went to her in the first place, at least she would not have tried to expose you like this."

Alex looked away, his fingers still on the report about him and all of the things kept secret.

"You know, I never considered that you might actually want the...the attention, but I did not think about all that comes along with it. The appreciation, the respect you'd receive. I mean, that someone would go to such extreme measure to help people he had never even met...it's unheard of. Though, here's not really information there about what went on in these missions, about the people you met and saw die-there are tons of blank spaces...but, you could fill them in."

Alex looked up at Nathan, and there was as stillness between them.

"Alex, if you really want this. You are the best person in the world to do it. What would they do, throw you in jail for telling the truth about how you were blackmailed by the government? By then it would be too late, and the world would cry out for the person that had saved them to be released."

...

Nathan said he could not stay and that he had a job interview the next morning, but he gave Alex his address, home phone number and a promise that whatever Alex decided to do he would not get mad at him.

"You _do _deserve the fame, and a lot more. I couldn't be mad at you if you got all that...just, think it through first, and thanks for all you did for me, I'm a lot closer to my Mum now. I...just, thanks," Nathan had said. Then, as if he wasn't sure if he should, he had given Alex a quick hug before jumping into the cab he'd called and driving slowly away down the suburban street.

Following his departure, Alex spent a lot of time sitting in his living room and staring at nothing. The radio was on, but it was only background noise for Alex's thoughts.

On the coffee table sat an open letter Alex had received a few days ago, this is what it read:

Dear Alex,  
Sorry I could not play guard for you one last time in your hometown, I was a bit under the weather. I'm all better now, and am seriously thinking about a career change while I spend my seven week paid vacation with my family. It was hard enough almost losing them all the first time, I don't think I can do that again. My mum was starting to think I really was gone for good, and my cousin had already started looking into funeral arrangements. Can you believe that? I'm not mad, it is just hard to think that a few more days in that place, and I really believe my family would have had to lay the memory of me in the ground. I've included a picture of them, aren't they a funny looking bunch? I really missed them, so thanks for getting me out of there, I really don't think I'd be alive if it hadn't been for you. If you are ever in my area, there's a bed with your name on it, I'd love for you to meet my family, even if I can not tell them everything.  
Take care, and don't study too hard in school. Take a vacation, God knows you deserve it.  
Love, Snake. (Allen)

The photograph lay beside the letter, and they really were a funny looking family, but that could only be accredited to the fact that all of them either were sticking tongues out, or had fingers in each others ears, had blown up their cheeks, or stared cross eyed at their noses.

Though Alex had gotten a smile due to seeing Snake with cross eyes, it was just as funny hearing his real name. Allen...Alex never would have guessed that.

Alex was not sure what had happened to the other member's of K-Unit, at one time they had checked in on him sporadically by phone or e-mail, but he could not help but feel that maybe they wanted a little distance from all things that reminded them of their months spent together in Hell. And how could he blame them for that?

Because of this, Alex took his time replying to their inquiries about his health, and just what he was getting up to in America. He did not want to seem clingy or needy, they had their own lives, it was about time he got one too. Maybe he could find a job that paid well, and later a career...but not one that involved death. He'd see far too much of that, thank you very much.

Though Miss Jones had hinted that she suspected Alex knew something of Yassen's amazing disappearance from MI6 custody, she had not pressed him for information...and, he may have been wrong, but Alex got the feeling she thought the whole escape was rather amusing.

Though Alex had expected to never hear from Yassen again, last week he was surprised to find a postcard in his mailbox. It had a lovely picture of the Easter Islands on the front, and a short unsigned message on the back.

'Wonderful views here,' the neat text read, 'much better than prison bars, and the cuisine is not half bad either. Hope you are taking care of yourself.'

It was short, rather blunt and a bit mysterious...Alex did not need a signature to decide it was from a certain escapee.

With no MI6 bothering him, Alex had turned his full attention to his schooling. He was dreadfully behind, and he would have to work through the summer if he wanted to graduate along with his other peers, but it was possible, he had been assured of that by both his teachers and Jack.

"You're brilliant Alex, you couldn't have survived as long as you did if you weren't," she had told him one night, when he'd admitted his concerns.

School was hard to get used to, after being away from it for so long, it seemed rather alien to him. The kids were friendly enough, but Alex had not been making a large effort to make friends, he could not help the thought that he would disappear again. Why would anyone want to make friends just to be torn away from them?

He'd been taken away from his friends so many times before, until he only had one he could depend on any longer...and that friend currently resided in a different country.

The phone rang in that moment, and Alex pulled himself out of his grey thoughts to grab the phone off the kitchen counter.

"Hello?"

"...Alex?"

What the hell, Alex thought, had Nathan set off a chain reaction? Was Eagle going to barrel down his door next?

"Cub? I'm sorry, do I have the wrong number?"

"No! No, sorry. You just caught me off guard, sorry, Fox. Um...hi."

"You wouldn't be so surprised if you actually checked your e-mail."

Alex could hear the worry in Fox's voice, and see the crease in between his eyebrows as if he was right in front of him.

"Sorry," Alex muttered, pulling out a chair and slumping into it.

"What's going on, Cub? I keep trying to get in touch with you. You really worried me. Are you just too busy, because that's fine, you need to get your life back in order...but, I don't think that is all there is to it."

Worrying his lip wasn't enough to work off the nervous energy, and Alex got up to pace.

"I'm sorry, I just thought that maybe you might need some space-"

"And you thought the same about the others? Wolf, Snake...Hell, even Eagle has been trying to get in touch with you, what's going on?"

Frustration had Alex running a hand through his hair, and as it went up, Alex could not help but stop to look at the scars. The difference in skin tone was not obvious unless you were looking at the scar...which Alex did quite a lot of lately.

"Alex?"

"I...I just don't know what to say. I mean, I just did not want you guys to think...I didn't want to take up your time, you have lives too."

The remorseful sigh filled up the speaker, and for some reason, it made Alex want to cry.

"Alex, you don't understand. We lived with you in a confined space for months, I know more about you then I know about some of my close family! We went through things together that ties people together. Whether you like it or not, you are part of my life now. It's the exact same with Eagle, Snake and Wolf...I'm sure even Yassen feels that way, not that we'll ever be able to ask him."

The only sound was Alex's sneakers on the floor as he paced along the length of the kitchen.

"You can't just go and shut everyone out either. You say that you felt they did not have time for you-bullshit. You are shutting us out, and it's not healthy. I know you, you probably go through the motions at school, not getting close to anyone because you're tired of being hurt. I know it sucks, Hell Alex, I still have nightmares, but you can not lock people out. That's the worst thing you can do, trust me, I've tried it."

Alex stared out the window, finally stilling his restless feet. He needed to hear this.

"But, do you know what will happen once you let people back in? You'll realize, that you are okay. It won't happen quickly, it is not an overnight kind of thing. But just watch, one day, you are going to wake up, and think, you know what, I'm going to be okay. You are going to get pass all this shit, and be a stronger person for it."

Alex closed his eyes, and willed himself to believe it.

"Jack had to have a talk with my gym teacher the other day," Alex said after a long silence.

Fox did not interrupt, he always had been a good listener. "We play a lot of soccer, and I always get picked to be a skin. They have two teams, those wearing shirts and those not, it helps the teacher keep track of everyone...but, I almost always get picked to play a skin. But Fox, I don't want them to see."

"Alex..." Fox sighed again, and Alex could see him in his mind's eye running a hand through his hair, trying to find words of advice that would help.

"And, I keep getting out of it by faking sick, but Jack got a note from the gym teacher, and she had to go down and explain to the teacher why I did not want to take my shirt off."

After a moment of silence, Fox cleared his throat, sounding rather worse for the wear now.

"I imagine her explanation was a bit more realistic than the truth."

"Yeah," Alex replied quietly, "she told him I'd been abused by a family that adopted me."

"Oh, Alex."

"I know there weren't a lot of options...but, it still sucks, you know? Because now the stupid guy looks at me with this look in his eyes-and I hate it. I haven't been a skin since, but I hate that she had to lie. And it feels like everyone knows what she told him, I just...how do you go back to what was normal? Sometimes, I'm not even sure what normal was for me! Hell, I know more about planning escape routes than I do about Algebra. And who cares about World War two when I used to feel like I was fighting a war every single day!"

Alex took a second to breath, and realized how alive he felt. He had not ranted to anyone in a long time. To just admit all his worries and fears, even the ones that might seem stupid...it was such a relief.

"I can't help you in the way I want. I'd like to take all this shit away, Alex."

"It just feels like so much sometimes, when you hear all the other people in school crying in the hall about their problems...and they seem like nothing, and it is just hard to remember that what might not seem big to me, could be a _huge_ problem for them. When you can remember a time when you were fretting about being shot in an hour, getting a bad grade on a project just seems like shit in comparison," Alex said, a tired un-amused laugh coming out before he could stop it.

Fox took another deep breath, and spoke with quiet reassurance. "Cub, you're going to be so strong one day."

The sureness in Fox's voice almost did it for Alex, but he managed to hold back the tears, and exchange them for a deep breath.

"The sad thing is, I used to think I _was _strong."

"You are, Cub. Don't let anyone tell you different, you've gone through more than most people could even dream of. But, just think, you know how your old problems seemed like nothing? One day you will look back, and realize that you had nothing to worry about. You are going to overcome this, just like you've overcome everything else. You are an amazing person, and if anyone can do it, I know you can."

Alex smiled, "You sound really sure of yourself, Fox."

"Cub, I'm more sure of that, than anything in the entire world. You, are going to overcome this. And it starts by you picking up the phone, and talking to your friends-that means me, Eagle, Snake, and yes, even Wolf."

"Ughhh, him too?" Alex faked a groan.

There was a short laugh, and hearing it made Alex happier than he had been all week.

"Yeah, even Wolf. I know he's a bastard, but he's our bastard."

Alex burst out laughing, and Fox was silent for a moment.

"That sounded really, really, wrong, now that I think about it," he murmured, and Alex found himself laughing again. He'd missed this.

"It's really good to hear you laugh, you really worried me. I was talking to Snake the other day about visiting you if you did not make contact soon, you are going to have to call him and the others before they raid your home."

Alex nodded, before noting that Fox could not see him. "I will, I promise."

"Thanks, I don't want you to ever feel like you have no one to go to. I'm always here if you ever need to rant, or just want to talk. I'm serious, if you disappear like this again, I will come over there and kick your ass so hard the boot print will still be there a week later. And then, you'll have to deal with the rest of the team as well. You won't be able to sit for a month."

Alex grinned at the floor.

"Thanks Fox," Alex said quietly, knowing that there was a lot more in those two words than just appreciation. Such sincere thankfulness was not something Alex felt everyday, but it was nice to know he still had people he could feel blessed to know.

"You're welcome. Next time I call, I want to hear that you went out for sports, or went out to see a movie, or vandalized the cafeteria...or maybe not the last one."

Alex rolled his eyes, "Will do. Thanks for calling, I..."

"I understand," Fox said, and there was indeed understanding in his voice.

"Okay," Alex looked around the kitchen, knowing the conversation had ended, but not sure how to say goodbye.

"I'll talk to you later, and you'd better answer, unless you are out doing stupid teenage stuff, in that case, have fun."

Alex smiled, "Bye, Fox."

"Bye, Alex."

When you know there are people, who will trust you to make the right decision, no matter how hard that decision is to make, you feel bad for even thinking of doing something else.

For a few moments, Alex had enjoyed fostering the idea of being respected by millions.

But, after hearing Fox's speech over how strong he already was, and just how much more he was going to grow into that strength...he knew what he had to do.

Going to the mantle above the fireplace, Alex reached up for the full box of matches.

Never doubting that he was making the right decision, Alex struck a match and watched the little flame catch on the logs inside the fireplace. He tossed the match in as well, and strode to the kitchen table where he took up the large article that would bring him fame, and fortune. It would bring his respect that he deserved, and bring fire down upon the heads of those that had done him wrong.

Alex looked down, scanning over the headline again as he walked slowly back to the fireplace and sat in front of the growing flame Indian style.

"Unknown hero, indeed," Alex muttered, ripping the title of the article in half. The sound of ripping paper made him smile, and the smile only grew when the flames caught the paper and the edges blackened.

Everything Nathan had said was true, except one thing.

You didn't even get anything out of it, he'd said. That wasn't true, and even though he had not recognized it when he should, Alex knew it now. He thought he wanted respect, a tiny payment for all that he had done...but, he already had that respect, and he had not gained it by publicity.

No, the respect he had earned came from hard work, and suffering. Staying strong when everyone wanted to see him fail.

Through all this, his main supporters, were men he had _equal_ respect for. Fox, Eagle, Snake, Wolf, and Yassen; they had gone through a traumatic experience with him, stayed with him when he was ill and barfing his guts out, made jokes in time when he thought he would _never smile again._

That kind of friendship could only be formed when a man is willing to give up his life for another. Alex had that kind of friendship, and though he had taken it for granted, as he tore that article to bits, he swore he'd never do that again.

When the last bits of the article burned up, Alex stood and went for the phone.

His life seemed to be at a bit of a standstill, but he was only helpless if he allowed himself to be.

The phone rang once, and Alex turned toward the large living room window. Unlike the windows at Alex's old home back in England, which had multiple panes, this held one large piece of glass. Nothing blocked his view of what waited outside, if he would just step out into it.

Again, the phone rang and a blue bird flew past the window perching on the neighbor's newly planted apple tree. Alex found himself thinking about how long it had been since he'd gone outside just to enjoy the sunlight...maybe after this he'd take a walk. Or read that book Jack had gotten him as a belated birthday present. Or finally take up Sam's offer to take him golfing...

He was about to hang up, the phone on its fifth ring, when a man answered, sounding groggy but alarmed.

"'Ello?" He cleared his throat. "Cub? You there?"

"Hey Wolf, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

There was a rustling, like Wolf was sitting up or pushing off sheets. "Yeah, bloody time difference can be a pain-but I'm glad you called. How you've been?"

Alex stuffed one hand in his pocket, seriously thinking over his answer. How was he?

"Not too great, to tell you the truth," Alex said honestly, then he paused, and Wolf seemed to hold his breath as there wasn't a sound from the other side of the line. "But...I think that will change soon."

Wolf exhaled, making Alex smile because he knew him so well.

"You want to tell me about it?" He seemed hopeful.

And so, Alex did.

**Last Author's Note: **Hello all! Wow, writing this has been like closing a chapter of my life. I've been writing this since I was fifteen, and I'll be twenty this November! Good grief. I kept adding to this, and taking away-then adding more at the last second! ^_^  
I could not have this chapter come off as happy go lucky, if you've even glanced at this fanfic, you've glimpsed my horrid attempt at torture, and know there are mental, physical and emotional wounds that comes with such an experience. At the same time, I hope I ended it on a hopeful note. Though Alex obviously has a lot to get through, he will be stronger for it, and will lead an amazing life without anymore interference!

Now, I'm going to tell ya'll something that **not many people know **about me. Because, I'm ecstatic about it, and want to share my happyness! I was born at home, and, if you are one of the few that are born at home, you are not automatically assigned a SSN. Well, my parents didn't get me a social security number. I'm sure you must know what comes along with not having a SSN. No job, no college, no driver's licence even! I could not even claim the scholarships I had the grades to apply for. I was homeschooled, and then when my parents got a divorce, I started to try and get one...that was almost three years ago. Well, this last Saturday...I came back from the fair, (deep fried Oreos anyone?) and in my mailbox, was my SSN.** I was totally shocked**, because, after a while...I started to think I would never get it. But, it happened, and I'm so thankful. It's been terrible trying to get it, I could tell you horror stories about the process. One lady at the SSN office would not help because, according to her, there was a possibility I had been abducted from Canada as a child. _ Someone's been reading too many thriller novels.  
So, I'm overwhelmed at the moment with possibilities. I have a lot of stuff to do, but I'm super excited about the future, and I hope it will be full of new experiences-all of them good! I really want to travel, and now that I can actually get a passport, maybe I will!

Enough of that! Now, onto my thanks. **Thanks you readers!** You've been amazingly patient, and helpful, critical in the best of ways, and honest when I needed it! Thanks you for the amazing feedback, and messages, (I adore messages!) they were my fuel when I really felt like giving up! There will be more stories, both Harry Potter and Alex Rider, check out my yahoo group or Tumblr for more info. **Thanks again, and please leave a comment for this very. last. chapter! **


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